After The War: The Rise of the Dark Lady
by InvictusUnum
Summary: Set directly after DH, but before the epilogue. Harry/Ginny, Hermione/Ron. The world is at peace...for two whole weeks. Chaos ensues as ancient foes and even older prophecies appear. Ancient Darkness is on the rise, and Harry & Co. are in the middle! R&R!
1. The Aftermath

**AFTER THE WAR: RISE OF THE DARK LADY**

**CHAPTER 1**

**THE AFTERMATH**

"That wand is more trouble than it's worth," said Harry. "And quite honestly, I've had enough trouble to last a lifetime."

Ron and Hermione chuckled wryly at his rather large understatement. They walked out of the office, closing the door behind them, and rode the revolving staircase down. Reaching the bottom, Harry carefully stepped back over the damaged and overturned gargoyles.

"C'mon, lend us a hand?" groaned one.

"Or at least a wand!" muttered the other, with some difficulty, given that he was lying face first on the ground, causing the words to be muffled by the stone.

Hermione waved her wand with a murmured spell, and the gargoyles righted themselves, lifting off the floor and settling back on their pedestals as the bits and pieces that had gotten chipped or blasted off during the Battle Reformed and then reattached themselves to their bodies.

"Thank you very much, Miss!" sighed the first gratefully.

"Indeed, thank you!" added the first, before asking inquiringly. "Tell me, do you know when Professor McGonagall will be shifting her things here? We want her to get the new password and such for us."

The trio shook their heads and said that they didn't, but that they would let her know that she should speak with the gargoyles. The gargoyles thanked them again, and they departed.

"So, where to now, mate?" asked Ron, as they turned a corner."Back to the party downstairs?"

Harry shook his head vehemently. "Not for me, I am going to Gryffindor Tower, and I am going to ask Kreacher to bring me a sandwich."

"Are you sure, Harry?" asked Hermione gently.

"Yeah, I'm sure all right. I'll even ask the Fat Lady not to let anyone other than us in for right now." Harry replied firmly. "Unless you lot are going downstairs, in which case I will tell her to let you two in anytime."

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances behind him. Hermione raised her eyebrows at Ron, who nodded in return. Hermione smiled at him in return.

"Ron and I will stay with you, Harry. Always." she answered Harry, who grinned in response.

Reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, the three of them stopped.

"Is it true? Is He-Who-Must-Not-Named truly gone, this time for good?" she asked hesitantly.

They nodded solemnly, and she whooped for joy and then immediately started to cry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other for a moment, thoroughly bewildered, then Harry asked tentatively:

"Umm, excuse me? Glad you're happy, but...eh... could we get inside please?"

Still sobbing, though now into a handkerchief that she had pulled from the folds of her dress, the Fat Lady nodded. Her frame swung forward, revealing the familiar sight of the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry clambered through first, and stood inside the room that was so familiar and yet utterly alien. As Ron helped Hermione through, Harry slowly walked over to one of the big, squishy armchairs in front of the hearth. He sank into its luxurious, cushioned depths and had to stifle a moan of pleasure. Ron and Hermione came over and curled up together on the couch next to his chair, holding hands, Hermione's head resting on Ron's shoulder.

Harry sat and watched them for a moment, grinning, pleased that they had finally gotten around to expressing their feelings, even if it had taken a a war and more-or-less guaranteed suicide mission to do it. Turning to the dimly glowing fireplace, Harry raised his repaired wand, and murmured "Incendio!" Immediately, the fire burned larger, and hotter, filling the room with warmth and light. Harry ran his fingers lightly over his wand, delighting at his ability to use it once more. He hadn't felt complete without it. Smiling contentedly, Harry abruptly remembered his desire for a sandwich. He sat up.

"Kreacher?" he called quietly. With a crack, the house elf Apparated before him. Seeing Harry, Kreacher bowed low with a smile that revealed the gaps in his teeth. As he straightened up, Harry saw that he had a gash on his forehead and a bloody lip, accompanied by several bruises. Harry leaned forward, instantly concerned.

"What happened to you, Kreacher? Are you all right?"

Kreacher gave a croaking laugh and waved one small hand dismissively.

"This? This is nothing, Master Harry. I just got a bit overzealous during the Battle. Got myself separated from the other house-elves during our attack, and a fleeing Death Eater ran right into me. That's the bloody lip. As for the gash, while I fell I managed to cut myself on my own knives." Kreacher replied, and laughed again, causing Regulus's locket to bounce on his chest a little.

While he had been speaking, Ron and Hermione had gotten off of the couch, and joined them. Crouching down, Hermione drew her wand and muttered a complex-sounding incantation. Kreacher's split lip healed and the gash vanished as new, healthy skin grew over it. Satisfied, Hermione rocked back on her heels.

"It was very brave of you to lead the house elves into the Battle, Kreacher, but you all could have been killed! Shouldn't you have stayed in the kitchens?" she asked, looking concerned as she gave him a quick once over, searching for more wounds to heal.

"Thank you for healing me, Miss" replied Kreacher with deep bows to her and Ron. "However, it was not as brave as what Master Harry or Master Regulus did. We house elves owed it to ourselves and to them to do our part and help stop the Dark Lord. We could not stand idly by ad just watch." He shook his head firmly, bat-like ears flapping. "Besides, we all knew that Master Harry had tried to turn himself in, to save the defenders of Hogwarts, and hearing of his death and then to have the Dark Lord lie about it, saying he was fleeing...well, most of us lost our tempers."

"Eh...thanks, Kreacher." said Harry, feeling awkward after Kreacher's comment of his bravery and the anger his apparent death had aroused. "Listen, if you are feeling up to it, do you think that you could bring up some butterbeers and a few sandwiches?"

"Of course, Master Harry. I will bring up plenty straight away, no doubt you are all starving." Kreacher replied, before vanishing with a crack.


	2. An Angry Weasley Is A Scary Weasley

Thank you to yukikiralacus for your review! Please, continue to do so.

EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD REVIEW TO SO I CAN CHANGE THE STORY TO MATCH READERS DESIRES!

LONG CHAPTER BUT PLEASE GET USED TO IT, I DO THAT ALOT.

AFTER THE WAR: RISE OF THE DARK LADY

CHAPTER 2

AN ANGRY WEASLEY IS A SCARY WEASLEY

"Now, on to more important things." said Hermione, standing in front of Harry and crossing her arms. "How could you let us all think that you had died, Harry? If you were planning on tricking the enemy you could have told Ron and I, at least!"

"She's right, mate. And you know it." agreed Ron, joining Hermione in looming over Harry. "What do you think you were up too?"

Harry felt himself wilt a little under the weight of their combined glares. "I'm sorry, really." he replied. "But since I didn't really plan on surviving, I didn't feel the need to bring it up."

"That is the stupidest reason possible. Did you really think that if you died, Voldemort would just pack up his army, head home, and leave us all in peace?" demanded Hermione, looking incredulous.

"Well, I hoped he would. I figured he would gloat first, of course, but then I figured he would leave." explained Harry hurriedly. "I didn't die, but like I said to Voldemort before he died, my death, the act of sacrificing myself, gave you the same protection I received from my mother, which is why his spells weren't working on you lot."

"Well, I still think that…" Hermione began, still looking quite cross, when she was interrupted by a voice behind Harry.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! THERE YOU ARE, YOU BASTARD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" it roared from the portrait hole. Harry jumped as though scalded and shot up out of his chair, automatically drawing his wand and spinning towards the source. Ron and Hermione reacted in the same instant, diving in opposite directions to roll into cover behind other pieces of furniture. As one, the Trio sprang up and fired two back-to-back spells at the shadowy figure framed in the doorway. Whoever it was dived for the ground, the six spells slashing through the space that the intruder had occupied an instant later, missing them by inches. Harry, Ron, and Hermione again directed their wands at the intruder, still lying on the ground, and Harry coldly commanded them: "Identify yourself! Who are you, how did you get in here, and are you a servant of Voldemort? Speak quickly! We won't miss again."

"DAMN YOU HARRY!" screeched a familiar voice angrily. "First you run off for an entire year, then you make me think you're dead, then you turn out to be alive, but disappear right after! Now you try to HEX me?"

The intruder jumped to its feet as Harry and the others lowered their wands. However, no sooner were they lowered than the figure swiped their wand through the air, sending Harry reeling backwards into the fireplace, the bottoms of his robes catching fire.

"_Aguamenti!"_cried Hermione, dousing Harry in water, but he didn't notice, because the intruder had just stomped their way into the light. Harry felt a small flicker off fear at the sight of a livid and truly terrifying Ginny Weasley.

"Ginny? What are you…how did you…?" spluttered Harry, waving his wand once to dry his clothes. "Damn it all, you should know better than to startle three people who have been on the run from the entire Wizarding world, under threat of _death_, for almost a year! We could have killed you!"

"That's another thing!" she yelled, actually stomping her foot in her fury. "You disappear, and I have to go for an entire year without knowing if the person I love is alive, or captured, or lying in the middle of nowhere bleeding to death! You could have sent me a Patronus, or an owl, or something!"

Harry looked around desperately for support, but Ron and Hermione were very deliberately looking anywhere but at each other or him. He returned his gaze to Ginny and smiled feebly, but all she did was continue to ever so slowly keep stepping towards him, and he started to backpedal away as she glared balefully at him.

Spreading his hands beseechingly, Harry said "Look, Ginny, I didn't want to worry you while we were gone. I had hoped you would go about your life normally. I didn't want to put you at risk by contacting you or the others. The Death Eaters might have intercepted the message, or the owl could have given away our position."

This was the wrong thing to say. Ginny looked, if possible, even angrier. Temporarily rendered speechless with rage, she pointed a shaking finger at Harry in dire condemnation. Finding her voice, she cried "I would rather be in danger and know that you lot were safe, or at least alive, then be sitting safe at school without a clue! You know what, I have a better idea! Next time you find a dark wizard to get rid of, take me with you!" Harry, still attempting to retreat, looked back and saw that he was out of room. Facing Ginny again, he saw that she was right in front of him. She balled her hands into fists and started to punch every bit of him that she could, spitting out words between gritted teeth with each blow.

"Never" WHACK "Do" "WHACK" That" WHACK "To" WHACK "ME" WHACK "Again" WHACK "You" WHACK "Stupid" WHACK "Idiotic" WHACK "_BOY!"_ WHACK

"OWW, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't OW do it again, Ginny! OWWW" cried Harry, attempting to ward of her blows, and failing miserably.

"PROMISE" WHACK "ME!" WHACK

"I promise, Ginny, I promise!" Harry yelped, as a particularly well-aimed blow hit his stomach.

"GOOD!" cried Ginny with one last blow. Then, she threw her arms around Harry and proceeded to sob into his shoulder unrestrainedly. Wrapping his arms around her, Harry pulled Ginny over to the chair he had been sitting in. Pulling her into his lap, he held her close as she cried, stroking her flame-like hair, murmuring reassuringly to her.

"You know, Harry, except for that last part, that was vaguely reminiscent of a certain scene between a girl and boy in a place called the Forest of Dean." Hermione said, grinning widely at the sight of Harry holding Ginny in his arms. "Right, Ron?"

Ron and Harry chuckled as they remembered exactly what Hermione had done to Ron in the Forest of Dean when he left and then came back. Holding Hermione's hand, Ron pulled her toward the couch they had vacated earlier. He sat down and pulled her down onto his own lap. "Yeah, but here's to hoping that Ginny won't ignore Harry for two weeks, eh 'Mione?" he teased, and Hermione blush, already present from Ron pulling her into his lap, darkened further and she swatted his chest lightly. "You deserved it, and so does Harry. Besides, you both got of lightly." She shot back, leaning into his embrace and putting her head back on his shoulder.

Ron nodded agreeably, and met Harry's gaze of the girl's heads, eyes twinkling. Harry grinned in reply, and both looked back down at the beautiful, precious women in their arms, and finally felt at peace for the first time in far too long. After a little while, Ginny stopped crying, and Harry looked down at her with a gentle smile.

"Feeling better, Gin?" he asked, and she blushed as he used the nickname she didn't even know he had known. She nodded and smiled back a little wetly. She plucked at his now-damp shirt and laughed a little.

"Now I've gotten your shirt all wet." She said, and Harry laughed in response. With a casual wave of his wand he dried himself off. Another, slightly more complex wave conjured a handkerchief from thin air, which he promptly gave to Ginny. She smiled and dried her eyes and face before leaning in and kissing Harry.

After they broke the kiss, for air if not for any other reason, Harry held her close and asked the question that had been itching him since Ginny had arrived.

"Gin, how did you get in here? I thought that the Fat Lady wasn't going to let anyone else in?"

She tilted her head back and gazed up at him, raising her eyebrows, and he hastily added "Not that I didn't want you here, because I do, more than anyone else, except Hermione and Ron, but I was just curious how you got it to happen?"

She giggled a little at his response, though she did feel a twinge of jealousy that he had put Hermione before her. She knew that was stupid, since her brother and Hermione _clearly_ had each other's attention, but she felt it all the same. Pushing it aside (she would handle that later) she replied

"Nothing, really." It was Harry's turn to raise his brows, and she continued. "No, really! All I did was casually mention that I had heard a rumor that she fancied Sir Cadogan and that someone should tell him and have their portraits put side by side, so they would be closer. She decided to let me in real quick after that, though I dunno why." She said the last part with and air off confused innocence, and all three of her companions winced and then whistled appreciatively at her deviousness. All three had met Sir Cadogan, and all three knew that the idea of having him next to her would have made the Fat Lady agree to almost anything.

"Now _that_ is quite the threat, little sis! Stuff like that should be outlawed." Ron said admiringly to his younger sister. Ginny smirked a little in response and turned her head slightly to look at Ron.

"Not my fault she took it is a threat, all I was doing was commenting on a rumor I had heard and my willingness to help her out, as a friend. That's all, honest!" she responded, with more affected innocence coloring her voice. Harry, Ron, and Hermione roared with laughter. They had just quieted down when Kreacher appeared with a crack, two platters of sandwiches in his hands and two baskets of butterbeers in the crooks of his elbows. He trotted over to the coffee table in front of the hearth and put down the platters before sliding the baskets down his arm beside them.

His task finished, Kreacher came turned back to face the four of them. Spotting Ginny, who was looking a little apprehensive, he bowed low and croaked

"Ah, Miss Weasley has finally joined you Master. Fortunately, Kreacher has brought up extra food and drink, so there should be plenty for her as well. All four of you are far too thin for Kreacher's liking."

"Thanks very much, Kreacher." replied Harry, grinning widely at Ginny's obvious confusion.

"Of course, Master Harry. Also, the Order is wishful of speaking with you. Shall Kreacher tell them to keep their wish fullness to themselves?" asked Kreacher, his tone clearly suggesting that that was precisely what he wanted to do, and would enjoy it.

Harry sighed, but acknowledged the inevitability of the forthcoming discussion. "No, we will eat and be down in about an hour. Please let them know, then go take a break."

"Very well, Master Harry. Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, goodbye for now. The elf replied before disApperating with a bow and a crack.


	3. An ORDERly Discussion

**MANY THANKS TO YUKIKIRALACUS, JUST-AS-LOONY-AS-LUNA, THE DARKEST WIZARD, AND BLADE OF INK FOR THEIR REVIEWS! PLEASE, KEEP REVIEWING!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, SO DON'T CALL THE EVIL MEN WITH PAPERS TO COME AFTER ME!**

AFTER THE WAR: RISE OF THE DARK LADY

CHAPTER 3

An ORDERly Discussion

Silence reigned as Ginny looked around at the others, who were grinning unrestrainedly at her open-mouthed surprise.

"Okay, I'll bite. What in the name of Merlin was that all about? When did Kreacher get…well…"Ginny asked resignedly, her voice trailing off as she tried to put his change into words.

"Polite and not racist against bloodtraitors and muggleborns?" suggested Hermione with a smile. When Ginny nodded mutely, Ron smiled and answered: "It's a long story of an adventure filled with Action, Danger, Romance, Betrayal, Intrigue, Suspense, and more!" Harry and Hermione chortled and Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's called _The Second War_."

"Yeah, uh huh. Lemme guess, this adventure story is, perhaps, about three idiots named Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger? And where they've been for the last year or so?" asked Ginny dryly, with a trace of sarcasm.

"Why, it just might, at that! However did you guess?" gasped Hermione melodramatically, widening her eyes and clapping her hands over her mouth.

Ginny rolled her eyes at her and stuck out her tongue as Harry and Ron laughed.

Ginny, got up from Harry's lap and made a point of sticking her nose in the air and flouncing over to the table with the food, ignoring them, which in the end only made them laugh even harder. Ginny watched them covertly, and saw that though they laughed loudly and convincingly, that same laughter never touched their eyes. Their clothes, worn and torn from months of being on the run from the whole of the Wizarding world, hung loosely from their worryingly thin and gaunt frames. They had deep shadows under their eyes, which had an almost sunken look.

Harry, unaware of her gaze, checked his watch.

"Okay, let's get moving people. Grab a drink and a sandwich and get ready to move. Ron, you get the door. Hermione, Banish the extra food back to the kitchen, would you please?" Harry said. "I will handle the fire, since I dunno when anyone will be back here, so I don't really want to leave the fire going."

Ginny watched as the three of them sprang into motion, moving swiftly and efficiently, the portrait hole had been opened, the fire was out, and the food was gone.

"C'mon, Ginny, let's go!" Harry called, already halfway out of the room. "Ron and Hermione already left!"

Ginny blinked in surprise. They had moved so fast, she hadn't even really noticed anything happening. She hurried over to the portrait hole and Harry helped her through. Harry turned as the entrance closed and gave the Fat Lady a small bow.

"Thank you for the help, Lady. He said, and behind him Ginny gave a sarcastic wave with a smile. The Lady gave Harry a small, regal nod, but merely sniffed disdainfully at Ginny.

Ginny walked along behind Harry as he strode down the hall, catching up to Ron and Hermione. Ginny could not help but notice that they unconsciously moved up to flank Harry and that their eyes were always moving, always catching every movement and searching every shadow, their hands close to their wands.

_So this is what a year of fighting a guerilla war and being on the run does to people. _She remembered how quickly and aggressively they had reacted when she had startled them. She shuddered with remembered fear as she thought about how Harry's normally warm, gentle, and caring voice had been as cold and empty as space as he warned her to identify herself. Ginny felt a wave of anger boiling inside her. _Damn Voldemort and his ilk to the depths of whatever Hell there is! How __**dare**__ they create the circumstances that would have taken away those she loved, to change them in such a way that they are almost unrecognizable. They didn't deserve this! _Ginny felt guilty for a moment, for having forgotten for even a minute that her brother was dead. Seeing Harry again, though, and Ron and Hermione, it made her feel so much better, made her feel like everything would be okay.

The four entered the Great Hall, only to find it empty except for the surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry looked around, and then raised his eyebrows at Kingsley.

"Where did everyone go? I thought everyone was still here?" he asked calmly.

"Home, by now, spreading the word that Harry Potter did it again. We have people almost popping out of the ground from being in hiding." replied Kingsley in his slow, deep voice. "We wanted to speak with you three away from any casual ears. Minerva, if you could pull up some chairs. Let's all take a seat and talk."

They all nodded in reply and McGonagall waved her wand, causing two couches and several armchairs to appear from thin air. Ron and Harry sat down on two of the arm chairs, while the adults seated themselves on the couches. Hermione and Ginny looked around for a moment, and Ginny grinned at Hermione. Walking over to Harry's chair, she very slowly and very deliberately lowered herself into his lap, somewhat flushed, her eyes daring anyone-Harry included-to tell her to move. When no one said anything, although Mrs. Weasley looked a little uncomfortable at the sight of her youngest daughter in a boy's lap, Hermione followed her example and walked over to Ron's chair, perching herself on his lap, looking a little pink in the cheeks. The two boys exchanged glances, and Ron grinned at Harry, who smiled back.

Kingsley coughed slightly, and all four looked at him. He had a small smile on his face and raised his eyebrows.

"Ready now, are we?" he asked as McGonagall grinned at the girls, who flushed a little pinker before smiling back, reassured by her obvious approval.

"Yes, minister, I think so. What can we do for you?" Harry replied, and Kingsley grimaced a little at the sound of his new title but didn't comment.

"First of all, we wanted to say how glad we are that you are still alive, and request that you never, _ever_ make us think that you died again. I assume it was part of a plan, from what you said to Voldemort, but we didn't enjoy thinking you were dead. In case you didn't notice when we all found out. I assume you heard the whole thing?" he said instead, and this time it was Harry's turn to grimace.

"Yes, I heard it all…Hagrid, I am sorry, my old friend. If there was any way I could have let you know I was alive, I would have but…as for Ginny, she has already impressed her anger upon me, and Hermione and Ron aren't happy but understand. Professor McGonagall, I am sorry, especially when you covered for me with Snape and the Carrows. I am gonna be honest, I did not expect to be coming back alive, but I figured you all would be better off without…OW!" Harry yelped as Ginny smacked him across the back of his head with her hand. He glared at her, and she glared right back. "Enough violence, women! Why is it you keep hitting me tonight?"

"Because you deserve it! That being said, don't you dare finish that sentence! Somehow I doubt-no, I _guarantee_- that we would have been better off if you had died. So don't even think it, or I will smack you again!" Ginny growled, and her words were greeted with amusement and agreement from the others.

"Potter, Ginny is right." agreed McGonagall, giving Harry a severe look. "We much prefer you alive, if for somewhat different reasons then her." The last part was said with a wicked grin that Harry never thought he would have seen on her face, and Ginny blushed a deep red.

"Damn straight." added Ron, as everyone else nodded.

"I get the point. I assume you have more to say, Minister?" Harry said, a little exasperated. Kingsley nodded, accepting the subject change gracefully.

"Yes. We were hoping you could shed some light onto your locations and actions over this past year, and whether or not they correspond with some fascinating rumors that we have been hearing." He said, raising his eyebrows, clearly believing that Harry did.

The Trio laughed dryly, and Harry shook his head. If only they knew. Which they wouldn't, at least for a little while longer. They could wait before finding out the details. He covertly looked over at Ron and Hermione, and received subtle answers to his unspoken question. Very well, it was unanimous. He turned back to the Order, ignoring-for now, at least- Ginny's searching gaze, as she had been the only one who had noticed the Trio's silent "conversation".

"We likely had much to do with many of the rumors. We were quite busy. But anything more than that will have to wait. Much was lost tonight, and with emotions already raw, perhaps it would be best not to speak of it." Harry said carefully, and Kingsley nodded, disappointed but unsurprised.

"What will you do now? He asked, looking Harry straight in the eye. Harry looked at him squarely, and Kingsley saw the strength that lay there, a strength that he rarely saw in anyone but a hardened, veteran Auror nowadays. Looking around, Kingsley realized that he was wrong. Harry, Ron and Hermione, even Ginny (though in her case a great deal less than the Trio) had the same strength, stronger than anyone Kingsley had ever seen, no matter how many raids they had done on the Ministry's behalf. _They really have grown, in so many ways._ He thought to himself, feeling a little awed.

"We thought we would come back for our last year of schooling. In addition, we wanted to give our assistance in the repairs. After that…well, we will just have to see." Hermione answered for them all.

There was much movement and surprised murmuring at this announcement, and Mr. Weasley leaned forward, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Can you three even learn anything more? Or the rest of "Dumbledore's Army" for that matter. During the battle, the DA units were some of our best, and we didn't lose too many of them. Even F-Fred was only killed because that cowardly Death Eater blew up the wall next to him. Must have known he couldn't fight one of MY sons and win fairly." He said, his voice breaking slightly at Fred's name, but with bittersweet pride as he finished.

"Well, I doubt that there would be much more that they, or the DA, could learn from Defense Against the Dark Arts as it is offered here, even if there was a teacher, but certainly in the other classes. I suppose we could do advanced classes for these three and the DA." McGonagall answered for them, sounding thoughtful.

"That was more or less what I intended to suggest if no one had any ideas." agreed Hermione, and McGonagall smiled at her.

"They will have a great deal of free time though…"mused Flitwick, who had been silent up until now. He brightened at as a thought crossed his mind. "We lack a DADA teacher, and these three…" Ginny gave him an old fashioned look, and he grinned. "Sorry, these _four_ are better than any teacher that we have had before." Ginny nodded in approval and the adults laughed.

"So, what are you getting at?" asked Professor Sprout curiously.

"Why, these four should teach DADA for all years, of course! I think that they are more than qualified." answered Flitwick, as though it were obvious.

"A fine idea! Minerva, your views?" exclaimed Kingsley.

"I agree completely." smiled McGonagall, eyes twinkling.

"Alright. You four are now the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers for the Advanced and Normal classes. Congratulations." said Kingsley, turning to them. "Now, we should all get some sleep, no?" Everyone nodded and started to get up, but Harry spoke up.

"What do you intend to do with the fallen Defenders?" he asked.

Kingsley shook his head, gesturing to the other adults.

"We have no idea. They should be honored, but how is the issue."

"Then do this: bury them in tombs like Dumbledore's, near Dumbledore's. Put a large stone column at the site, made from stones from every part of Great Britain, and from Hogwarts itself. Etch the names of everyone, Muggle and Wizard, Pureblood, Half-blood, and Muggleborn who died in either one of the wars due to Voldemort. Break the whole section of land off from the main shoreline. Make it an island, in the center of the lake. All new students will go past it, and remember what the cost of freedom is, and who paid that price this time." Harry said, eyes bleak and sad. "On another note, if you appoint us as DADA teachers, it is going to be a tough class. The Dark is never truly defeated, and I am going to train _all_ the students hard."

"We are forewarned." said McGonagall, thinking, as Kingsley had, that they had truly changed and grown drastically.

All the adults stood, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione strode towards the front doors, heading out into the night.

**A/N: AS YOU CAN SEE, I HAVE RENAMED THE STORY AND THE CHAPTERS, AND WILL CONTINUE TO NAME CHAPTER! I ALSO EDITED IT! ALSO, IF YA'ALL REVIEW, PLEASE SAY SOMETHING OTHER THAN "I LIKED IT" PLEASE SPECIFY, AND GIVE ME ADVICE!**

**THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A LITTLE SHORTER, FOCUSING ON THE FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS THAT THE TRIO ARE HAVING RIGHT AFTER THE BATTLE. ON ANOTHER NOTE, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT GINNY'S AND HERMIONE'S NEWLY APPARENT RESOLVE TO DO WHATEVER THE HELL THEY WANT WITH HARRY AND RON NO MATTER WHAT? MRS. WEASLY IS PROBABLY GONNA GET MAD, HAHAHA! SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER!**

P.S. I JUST DISCOVERED THAT BLADE OF INK IS MY BROTHER...OR SO HE CLAIMS...WEIRD HUH?


	4. The Depths of Thought and Guilt

**Thank you to all those who reviewed. Now, to answer specific points:**

**wooldollycoat: I am going to work on an explanation that is feasible, but since (as you will read in this chapter) Harry is not entirely sure what changed inside of himself, I cannot yet say what it is. Malfoy will certainly be in here, but having him here in such a way that he and the Trio still don't get along, as seen in the epilogue of DH, will be challenging, but it will happen.**

**just-as-loony-as-luna: First of all, I dub thee JALAL, because your name is so long. Secondly, sorry I didn't spell his name right. Third of all, the ending had to be the way it was because it was the only natural breaking point until the end of this chapter. I have this handwritten a couple of chapters ahead at all times, that's why. However, I shal endeavor to improve!**

**Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing but the inevitable OCs, my plot line, and my own epic self! Otherwise, the scary people in black suits would come for me in the night.**

After The War: Rise of the Dark Lady

Chapter 4

The Depths of Thought and Guilt

"Wait up, you three!" They heard Mrs. Weasley shout from the entrance hall. Stopping and turning, they saw the entire surviving Weasley family hurrying towards them across the grass.

"What can we do for you, Mrs. Weasley?" inquired Hermione as they reached the Trio, breathing a little hard, somewhat more so in Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's case than in that of their children.

"Arthur, the children, and I are in agreement. You three should come to the Burrow. Especially you, Ron! Where else would you go?" Mrs. Weasley said, almost pleadingly.

"Ron and Hermione can go with you, if that is their choice. I, however, will go to Grimmauld Place. That is the closest thing to a home that I have right now." Harry replied, and the Weasleys blinked in surprise. Since when was Harry so…firm, so resolved, so eloquent, even? He had changed so much; it was almost like he…wasn't Harry anymore. Mrs. Weasley bit her bottom lip and looked at Ron. Her son looked so different, and carried himself differently. Hermione, who had always been a little too thin to begin with, was now as thin as Harry, for Heaven's sake! What had happened to them? Her thoughts were brought to a halt as Hermione and Ron looked at one another, and whispered back and forth with each other. Ron nodded reluctantly, and Hermione turned to the Weasleys.

"Ron and I will be come back to the Burrow with you, he should spend some time with his family, and I am staying with him." She said, and turned to Harry. "You should join us Harry. Please." Harry shook his head.

"No, Hermione. The Death Eaters will stop at nothing to take me out now, and enough people have been hurt or died in this damn war as it is, far to many of them to protect me. Grimmauld Place is less valuable and less people are likely to be caught in the crossfire than if I stayed at the Burrow and they attacked. It is safest for all of you…I can't have anyone else I care about die…" Harry said sadly. "To many have died that should have lived, and it's all my fault."

"Harry…c'mon, let's go. Come with us." Said Mr. Weasley quietly.

"NO, damn it!" Harry shouted, suddenly furious. "How can you say that? Fred is dead because of me. Fred, your SON is dead because of me, Harry Potter. So many people have died just because they were near me, or happened to be in range of the crosshair painted on me! How can you invite me to your home, knowing that, and knowing that more danger will follow?"

"Don't think of it that way, mate." Croaked George, his bloodshot and puffy eyes still red from crying. " We were willing to risk it all to get rid of Him, to have Him finally be finished. Some…some of us lost it all. Fred died laughing, protecting his family and friends. That's the way he would have wanted it."

"George, I…it's all my fault, damn it, can't you see that?" Harry said wretchedly. "If I had turned myself in sooner, Fred might not have died! SO many could have made it! Lupin, and Tonks, and Colin…"

"Don't say that!" George said, sounding almost angry. "It was that damn coward of a Death Eater, and when I get my hands on him, I will settle the score. We all knew the risks, and there is no way you are taking all the blame, so shaddup and come home!"

Much to everyone's surprise, Harry laughed, but it was empty laughter, devoid of any emotion. He shook his head sadly, and looked at the ruined grounds and walls of what had been his true home.

"Home, huh? I'll come with you, George, it seems that I've lost this argument, but it's not home…I don't think I have a home anymore…heh…" and with that rather mystifying and depressing remark, he Disapparated. Ginny stood staring at the spot where he had vanished, looking very worried indeed, with tears in her eyes.

"I'm gonna go after him, make sure he actually went to the Burrow…maybe I can get something out of him." She said, her expression daring anyone to try and stop her. No one did, so she turned on the spot and Disapparated.

AT THE BURROW

Ginny felt the moment of crushing pressure, and then she was home. In the yard of the Burrow. Someplace she hadn't been sure she would ever see again. She looked around, happy to be home, but with more important things on her mind. Spotting Harry, who was sitting on the ground, staring up at the sky blankly while twirling his wand aimlessly in his fingers, she walked over to him. Remembering what had happened in the Gryffindor Common Room, she called out his name softly as she approached. He turned and looked at her for a moment, before returning his gaze to the stars. She sat down next to him, wrapped her arms around him, and put his head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, Harry? What happened to you out there, too make you so different?" she asked, when he made no move to leave. He grimaced and shook his head.

"I dunno, Ginny, I just dunno. All those people dead because of me, dead because I failed. You were almost killed, Ron and Hermione, Lavender was almost killed by Greyback…so many suffered because I wasn't good enough, strong enough, fast enough…" he whispered brokenly, his eyes staring but not seeing at the sky high above them.

"It wasn't your fault, Harry. You had to do what you did to stop Voldemort! It was necessary. Sure, people died, but a lot more people would have died if you hadn't stopped him, or if you had died fruitlessly! You did what you had to do, for the greater good!" Ginny said fiercely, almost aggressively. Harry laughed that empty laugh again, surprising her.

"You know, FOR THE GREATER GOOD is what Grindlewald committed his crimes for? That Dumbledore wanted to put a magical dictatorship in place over the Muggles, 'for the greater good, to help them'? I ran and hid, Ginny, I ran and hid." He said, standing up and starting to walk away. "You should find someone else to love. Someone who isn't a coward that let people die for him, because he was too weak to do anything!" He was about to Disapparate when Ginny tackled him to the ground from behind.

"What the hell? Did you really just say that? Did you really just call yourself a coward? Damn it all, you willingly walked into that forest to die for the rest of us, to sacrifice yourself! That's not cowardice, Harry. If it was, then your mother and father are cowards, and many others besides!" Ginny shouted, pinning him to the ground as he struggled to get free. He grunted, exerting all of the muscle he had built up from years of Quidditch and months of exercise while running from Death Eaters, and got free, stumbling to his feet and started again for the boundaries, to where he could Disapparate.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Ginny shouted behind him, and he froze, his legs and arms snapping to his sides, and he started to fall to the ground, only to have her catch him and lower him gently onto the grass on his back. She straddled him, and prodded his chest with a finger. "No Harry, you are not just going to leave me again! I won't let, especially not for such a stupid reason as misplaced guilt! I love you, Harry, and I can't –I WON'T- let you do this to yourself! Do you understand me?" she said, then realized he couldn't answer. Waving her wand with a murmured spell, she released only Harry's head from her Body-Bind Spell, allowing him to talk.

"How, Ginny? How can you still love me after all this? I left you! I dumped you to run away and hide! I left you in danger, running away to save my own skin! You can't want me back, I'm not who I used to be anymore!" Harry growled bitterly.

"Because I love you, Harry. You had to leave me, you had to defeat him. You may not be who you were before, but once you get over this ridiculously misplaced guilt of yours, I think that the new and improved Harry Potter will suit me very nicely, even better than the old one." With that, Harry broke. The armor that he had unconsciously been building up around his heart during the past year shattered, and he started to cry. Cry harder than he ever had before. Ginny released her spell and just…held him while he cried. She didn't murmur reassuring things, or tell him everything would be okay, she just held him, supporting him physically, and emotionally. After he had finished, she fished out the handkerchief he had conjured for her at Hogwarts, and handed it to him with a smile and a quip of "I'm returning the favor.", which got a laugh out of him. Watery and hoarse, maybe, but a genuine laugh, and it warmed her heart to hear him sounding more like himself. After he got himself sorted out, they lay beneath the stars, Ginny's head on his chest.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"You never said why you are so different now. Even right now, you just…sound different, you act different, you move different. What happened?"

He just lay there for a moment, before saying slowly, haltingly:  
"I guess…that realizing that I had to die, and making the decision to die for the people I loved…made something…_click_ inside me. That's the only way to describe it. I stopped being confused and became…I dunno, resolved? I realized that I had been holding myself back, trying to figure things out that didn't need it. Making that decision…it just made me…different, the way I am now. I can't really describe it, but I had such a sense of purpose." He lay silent for a moment, and Ginny looked up at him. He looked thoughtful as he gazed at the stars.

"What? What are you thinking?" she asked, worried he was going to try to leave again.

"It's just…I was afraid, don't get me wrong, but at the same time…I wasn't. It was my destiny, my purpose, my reason for living, but I was still able to do it, even though I was terrified."

"That's what they call courage love, because if there is no fear in your heart, how can there ever be courage?" Ginny said, then blushed as he looked down at her, raising his eyebrows a little.

"When did you get so philosophical, Gin? I don't remember you ever saying those kinds of things before."

Her blush darkened, and she slapped his chest lightly. She hadn't realized he knew her pet name, her private nickname only her family knew. She shrugged and replied

"I don't know, the same time you became an icy-blooded soldier-type"

He chuckled at that, and stood, pulling her up with him. He leaned his face down to hers.

"Then I guess we complement each other well." He whispered just before their lips met. When they parted, he looked down at her, and smiled.

"I love you Ginny Weasley. More than anything."

She smiled and pulled his mouth back down to hers. Before their lips met once more, she whispered back:

"And I love you, Harry Potter. With all my heart."

They stood under the stars for some time, before heading inside, hand in hand, her head on his shoulder.

AT THE SAME TIME, BACK AT HOGWARTS

"Since when can Ginny Disapparate? She couldn't do that before, could she?" asked Ron, frowning at the spot where his sister had vanished.

"She taught herself how to do it a month ago. She said that she "wanted to be ready", though ready for what I'm not sure." answered George, and his parents turned on him.

"Why didn't you tell us? It was very dangerous, she could have died!" cried Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley looked quite like he wanted to agree. Far from quailing under his other's glare like he would have before, George stared right back at her.

"Simple, Mum. She made me swear not to, and given that we all could have been killed because of our relationship with Harry, anything that could help her to survive is a good thing, right?" he responded calmly.

Mrs. Weasley looked rather taken aback at this, while Mr. Weasley looked thoughtful. Mrs. Weasley turned back to Ron and Hermione and pinned them with her stare.

"What happened, you two? All three of you have changed, but Harry is the…well…" she said, her voice trailing off at the end as she tried to find the right word.

"Worst?" asked Hermione, and gave a mirthless laugh when Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Not much Ron or I can tell you about Harry, Mrs. Weasley. Most of it happened slowly, subtly, during all that time on the run, hunted, not having anything half decent to eat most of the time, even. We all became stronger magically, but Harry probably improved the most. We all became more suspicious and careful, but Harry more so than us. That's what started it, but I can only guess at what finished the job. Best Guess? Walking into that forest to die, and then actually dying…that's what took away the Harry we all knew. Something must have…changed inside him then." She shook her head. "We can't tell you any more than that. However, we should probably get after them, before Harry tries to leave and Ginny has to hex him."

They all laughed, and Disapparated, leaving the lawns of Hogwarts empty but for the grief and sorrow that hung in the air, kept company only by the shattered walls and cratered earth.

A/N:

**Well, there you have it! Chapter Four, intended to be a "deep" chapter, but since I myself am not good at being "deep", I might not have done to well. For all of my returning people, PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW! For all of you new people, REVIEW! I can-nae make this into something ya'all like if y'all don't REVIEW!**

**SEE YOU NEXT CHAPTER, IN WHICH GRIMMAULD PLACE IS DESTROYED AND HARRY IS IN THE HOSPITAL!**


	5. Grimmauld Place Under Siege

Trtldx123: I agree, but he is not in the best mood. He is confused, depressed, feeling guilty, depressed, and angry, etc. Yes, I put depressed twice. That was deliberate. I would like to point out what he did to Dumbledore's office the last time he felt this way. Compared to that, yelling about how everything is his fault is small potatoes.

THANK YOU ALL REVIEWERS, KEEP IT UP!

For those of you who do not know, I have gone back and corrected some things in previous chapters. Also, title and chapter names have changed. There for, I strongly urge you to go back and re-read, tell me what you think!

AND NOW, WE BEGIN! SEE YOU AT THE END!

After the War: The Rise of the Dark Lady

Chapter 5

Grimmauld Place Under Siege

The sun rose above the sleepy little valley, in which lay the happy little town of Ottery St. Catchpole, where all was well with life. But a few miles outside the town limits, in the kitchen of the Burrow, all was not well. Not well at all for one Molly Weasley, and thus, by extension, her husband Arthur. Mrs. Weasley sat at the kitchen table, the family clock in front of her as she added hands to it. This clock was like no other clock, as instead of having two hands and numbers, it had nine hands, (one for each member of the family) and had various locations or statuses around its face, such as "Home", "Travelling", or the like. Molly bit her lip as she saw that Fred's hand was pointed to "Dead", as it always would be, now. She finished fixing on the new hands, and Harry and Hermione smiled up at her from their pictures. She smiled back, then frowned as Harry's instantly spun around to point at "Lost". She looked up at her husband and saw her concern mirrored in his eyes and face.

"What do we do, Arthur? All three of the have slipped away, and I can't figure out why…like last night? That wasn't like Harry at all! And all three are so thin and gaunt and their _eyes_…" Molly shuddered as she remembered those eyes, eyes that were empty and fathomless and…hollow looking.

"Well, Ginny told you that he let slip something about killing Voldemort, right?" asked Arthur. Molly nodded, and he continued. "We know that Lupin saw them at Grimmauld Place, although he refused to go into the details…though I get the suspicion that it gave him the courage needed to stay with Tonks, despite his fears for the child, given his…condition."

"Then someone who knew us infiltrated the Ministry, attacked Umbridge, freed those Muggleborn and warned you that you were being watched everywhere you went. Because the real Runecorn never would have said that, so it was definitely a Polyjuice Potion user…" said Molly quietly.

"And then something happened at Malfoy Manor, though we can't know for sure what, none of them looked great after that, not even Bellatrix." continued Arthur, looking out the window at the rising sun.

"And finally, someone broke into Gringotts and escaped on a live dragon, of all things!" finished Molly, then she sighed and shook her head. "Why can't they just try to keep themselves out of trouble?" she moaned, almost despairingly.

Arthur laughed in reply, and kissed his wife. Checking his watch, he announced that he had to head to work, and upon receiving a kiss and a hug from his wife in return, departed. He had barely been gone for 30 seconds when Ginny, Ron, and Hermione came stampeding down the stairs, fully dressed, and all started talking at once.

"Stop!" said Mrs. Weasley commandingly. The incomprehensible flood of words stopped, and she nodded in approval. "Good, now tell it again, from the top, _one at a time!_"

"Mum, Harry's gone!" cried Ginny, looking very distressed.

"I know, Ginny, according to the clock he is "Lost". I have no idea where he could be, do you?" responded Mrs. Weasley, attempting to sound calm, but failing. Ginny shook her head and bit her lip, looking as though she was about to cry.

"I have a few ideas. You lot stay here just in case he comes back." said Hermione, before whispering into Ron's ear. "Ron, take her up to her room, okay? Keep an eye on her. I'm a girl, so I am predicting she is gonna feel abandoned. That's why you're staying with her." Ron nodded slightly, not so much as to cause Ginny or Mrs. Weasley to notice. Hermione walked out the front door, reached the gate, and turned on the spot, vanishing.

"Come on, Gin. Let's get you up stairs." said Ron, steering her up the stairs and into her room. She sat down on the floor and hugged her legs to her chest. Ron sat beside her and rubbed her back soothingly, only to have her pull away. "What is wrong, sis? He will come back, he loves you."

Far from being comforted, Ginny just looked sadder. She shook her head morosely and whispered, half to Ron and half to herself.

"How can you be sure? Why did Hermione go off and get him, knowing where he is? From what she told me last night, she has him all figured out. What if he…what if they…I mean…." Her voice trailed off and Ron realized her real worry. He started to smile a little.

"Ginny, believe me, there is no way that would happen, I guarantee it. The look in his eyes when he sees you…there is no way he thinks of her that way. They're more like siblings than anything else." He said soothingly.

"How can you be so sure?" she murmured

"Simple reasons, Ginny. First of all, he loves you, plain and simple. Second, in case you missed it while you were snogging Harry, Hermione and I have gotten around to expressing our feelings for each other. Thirdly…." He let the sentence hang, and Ginny looked up, curious despite her worry.

"Thirdly, what?" she asked, and Ron sighed, shaking his head.

"Listen, something happened during the time we were on the run…you remember how I mentioned something about the Forest of Dean back in the Common Room?" she nodded, and he sighed again. "Well, the whole story of that goes something like this…"

Some 40 minutes later, Ginny was looking _much_ happier. She grinned at her brother giddily and he smiled back, glad to see here feeling better, but then his smile faded.

"I expected you to hex me to oblivion and beyond after I told you that Ginny. I'm glad you didn't, but…."his voice trailed off, and Ginny raised her eyebrows at him.

"But why didn't I?" she finisher for him, her question more of a statement. He nodded mutely in reply and she sighed.

"Because I know exactly what it was like to have that happen. Riddle's Diary, remember?" she replied, and he grimaced at the memory. "It wasn't you; it was the darkest fears of your heart being brought into reality. Not a pleasant thing."

Ron looked somewhat relieved that she wasn't going to try and kill him and pretend it was a dueling accident. They heard a sharp crack and both spoke at once.

"Hermione's back!" cried Ron happily.

"Harry's back!" cried Ginny, just as happily.

They stopped and looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing, but there laughter was cut short by the sound of their mother screaming from downstairs, followed by her yelling up the stairs.

"Ron! Ginny! Help me! Hurry!" she cried.

Ron was halfway out the door, wand out, before she had finished screaming and halfway down the stairs before she finished calling for help. Ginny stood there blinking for a moment-Ron never used to move that fast, even if there was food waiting!-then she shook herself, drew her wand, and charged downstairs.

Expecting to see a horde of cloaked, wand-wielding Death Eaters, she was surprised to see Ron come stumbling into the house holding a body in his arms.

"Put him down here, Ronald!" cried Mrs. Weasley, waving her son over to the dining room table. As Ginny drew closer, she saw that the body was Kreacher. She stared, horrified. His mediocre garments were in tatters, and he was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. Mrs. Weasley stood over him, muttering every healing spell she could think of and some of the cuts-the life threatening ones- scabbed over.

"That's the best I can do…those wounds are beyond my power to heal completely." said Mrs. Weasley, but a safe rustle distracted them all. Kreacher was trying to sit up. He rose up on his elbows, and then collapsed again, shuddering.

"Take it easy Kreacher, mate, you shouldn't move." said Ron, extreme concern evident in his voice. "What the hell happened? Where are Harry and Hermione?"

"Master and Miss Granger were arguing about Master not being here…in the kitchen of….Grimmauld Place…many Death Eaters come…destroy wards…my Master sent Miss Granger for Aurors…Kreacher is hurt, and Master sends him here…Master cannot fight…them…alone…help…him." Kreacher muttered, breathing shallowly and in obvious pain, before passing out at the last word.

Ron stood up, and spoke in a voice of iron.

"Mother, take Kreacher to St. Mungo's, he needs professional Healers. I'm going to help Harry hold them off 'till back-up arrives. Ginny, you stay here."

"The hell I am! You have no right to…" Ginny began, furious, but Ron just steamrolled her.

"Enough! You _will_ remain here. No arguments! Harry would have my hide, and I'm not having my little in anymore danger than necessary." With that, Ron strode out the door, down the walk and out the gate. Once outside the wards, they saw him turn to cast a long glance back at The Burrow, then he turned on the spot and vanished.

**MEANWHILE, AT GRIMMAULD PLACE**

Harry swore loudly as another chunk of the tree he had taken cover behind was blown away by a curse that missed hitting him by inches. They had almost gotten him that time, and he hadn't hit them recently. At first, inside Grimmauld Place, he had been able to Stun three or four, but then they had gotten smart. They had forced him outside, where they could use the full advantage of their numbers properly. He guessed that there were about twenty of the bastards. Once they had pulled out their unconscious comrades, they had set Fiendfyre off inside of the house. He cherished no hopes that it was salvageable, since its shattered and burned out hulk had appeared even though he was outside the boundaries of where the wards used to be, which meant that the enchantments tied to the house itself had been destroyed utterly. At least he had gotten Hermione and Kreacher out in time. He sighed in resignation, standing up and peering around the tree at his foes. _Might as well go out in a blaze of glory…_ he thought to himself. Then, a CRACK of someone Apparating behind him sounded. He spun, and his heart sank as two more cracks sounded closely after, followed by the sound of arguing. Creeping towards the voices, Harry was greeted by the sight of Hermione and Ron attempting to persuade Ginny to return to the Burrow, while she stubbornly refused to. Harry swore savagely. The _last_ thing he needed in the middle of a fight for his life was to be worrying about the girl he loved. He frowned, thrown of his annoyed thought-pattern for a moment. _The girl he loved_. Yes, that was right. He couldn't exactly call her his Girlfriend. He hadn't asked her back out yet. A calm and detached portion of his mind put this inane thought down to simple combat stress, but that didn't make it untrue. As he drew closer, individual words started becoming clear.

"…to stay back at the Burrow!" Ron growled.

"I don't care! I am not leaving!" Ginny hissed back.

"Both of you shut up, do you not here the battle going on over there?" Hermione commanded, exasperated.

Busy arguing as they were, they missed the three cloaked figures sneaking up on them. They didn't notice, but Harry did. He charged out of cover with a roar and attacked the Death Eaters.

"Ron, Hermione, take Ginny and go! Now! I'll hold them off!" he shouted as he ducked and weaved in and around his foes.

"Hermione, take Ginny and go." ordered Ron, before sprinting into the battle.

Hermione longed to go after him, to make sure he came through all right, but she also knew it would kill Harry and Ron if anything happened to Ginny. Grabbing her by the arm, Hermione started to drag Ginny away.

"Hermione, stop! I can't leave them!" Ginny shouted, wrestling futilely.

"No choice, Ginny. I have my orders." Hermione said firmly.

"Orders? What the hell? Is Harry, like, your leader or something? Geez, you know you want to stay to help too!" Ginny snarled, still trying to get free. Damn, when had Hermione gotten so strong?

"Yes, Harry is our leader. He always has been, but now more than ever." Hermione replied. "Yes, I want to stay and help, but that's irrelevant. I have to get you to safety. Harry and Ron will be fine; the Aurors will be here any minute!"

No sooner had she spoken than two dozen Aurors Apparated in front of them. Kingsley, who seemed to be personally leading them, walked up to the girls.

"What are you girls still doing here? Where is Harry? And Ron is with him, I assume?" he asked.

"I'm getting Ginny out, she followed Ron in." Hermione answered, then used here free hand to point behind them. "Harry and Ron are back there. Near as I could tell before I left to warn you lot, there were about 20 of them, but Harry probably eliminated a few. He and Ron are battling three more back there. The others will probably get to them soon, if not already." As if to prove her point, there were sudden shouts of "There he is. Get him!" which were immediately followed by screams and yells and an increase to the number of spells flying around.

Kingsley nodded and turned to the Aurors.

"Group one, stay here and nab any runners. The girls will stay with you. The boys would have my hide otherwise. Everyone else, we're going to go save the Chosen One. Capture if you can. If not…" Kingleys voice grew cold and his next words fit the tone. "You are otherwise to use the Killing Curse. On me!"

With that, Kingsley led the 20 Aurors not staying behind in a charge on the Death Eaters. The four he left behind arranged themselves in a protective circle around Hermione and Ginny. Recognizing one, Ginny said:

"Hey, Dawlish, can you make Hermione to let go of me? I need to go do something."

"Not likely, Miss Weasley. Potter would have my guts for floss if anything happened to you, and I like them where they are. Anyhow, I am not stupid enough to try and "make" Miss Granger do anything. Thanks all the same." Replied Dawlish, smiling, though his eyes never turned from the direction of the battle.

Ginny turned to Hermione, tears in her eyes.

"Please? I…I can't stand just sitting here and waiting…not knowing…."she whispered pleadingly.

Hermione, instead of just refusing, wrapped her arms around Ginny.

"Let's just wait for our boys to come home, victory in hand." She whispered back.

And so the two young women stood and waited for their men to return.

**45 AGONIZING MINUTES LATER**

"That's the all clear signal, ladies." Said Dawlish as gold sparks burst in the air above them. Then he frowned as a white sparks burst right next to them. "Not good…" he murmured to himself.

"What's wrong?" demanded Hermione and Ginny in unison.

"White sparks mean that there are severely injured people over there. Still, I'm sure that it is well in hand, nothing to worry about." Dawlish replied, only to realize the girls were already gone, running over to the area under the sparks. They had started running the instant the words "severely injured" had been spoken. Dawlish shouted after them, telling them to come back, but they ignored him.

They pushed their way past the group of Aurors, who were all standing in a circle, looking _very_ concerned. Fear knowing at them, the girls finally reached the fore, only to stop dead. Two stretchers lay in the middle of that circle, and on those stretchers lay the two people they had prayed it wouldn't be. Totally ignoring everyone else there, they ran to the sides of the people they loved most.

Hermione knelt down on the ground, staring down at Ron. His left arm hung at an acute angle, and he was covered with burns and bruises. One leg had the legs of his pants cut off at the hip, and a tourniquet was wrapped around his thigh, preventing him from bleeding out through the large gash just above his knee. He looked so…broken almost like he was…no. NO! She shook her head, refusing to follow that train of thought. He was NOT dead and he WASN"T going to die. Not after the great prat had finally gotten the fact that she loved him and he loved her. She wouldn't let it happen!

From where she knelt next to Harry, Ginny looked down at the frighteningly broken-looking form of her boyfriend. His glasses lay on his chest, shattered. He had a large number of burns, cuts and bruises, but worst of all was a large gash that stretched from above his right eye, diagonally across the bridge of his nose, ending under at the base of his jaw line under his left eye. Ginny couldn't help but stare. What the HELL had hit him? She turned to the nearest Auror.

"What the hell happened? What hit him?" she growled, and the Auror-and those on either side of him- hastily took a step back.

The Auror in question cleared his throat and said:

"Well, we think it's was that slashing curse the Death Eaters love. You know, _Sectumsempra_? Near as we can figure out, he put up a shield charm a fraction of a second too late. Thank Merlin he player Quidditch and managed to partially dodge. It was aimed at his throat. Right now, however…"

The Auror nodded to someone behind her, and Ginny felt strong arms grab her and start pulling her away. Across from her, Ginny could see another Auror pulling Hermione away from Ron.

"What are you doing?" Hermione screeched, fitting his grip. "Let me go!" Ginny echoed her sentiments as both girls fought to get back to the boys.

"Sorry girls, but I need this done right. These two need immediate transport to St. Mungo's, and I can't have you two in the way. Go home and wait for us to send for you." Answered Kinglsey, as newly arrived white-robed wizards bearing the sigil of St. Mungo's swarmed the stretchers. The two girls were forced to watch, helpless, as grim-faced medics bore away the broken and unconscious bodies of the loves of their lives…and they could do nothing at all to help them. Nothing that they could do at all.

A/N: Where are they? Did they survive this rather long chapter? *Looks around worried* Ah! There they are! Hello, I see you survived. Good. Sorry, this was a little long, but what have you. Also a little different from my original plan, but given some new ideas on the plot yet to come, sacrifices had to be made. Talking of new ideas, what do you all think of my series title and the chapter titles? Did any of you catch the play on words in chapter 3? I hope so!

YES, it was a rather sad ending. But lets face it. Their lives have never been that great, right? And before ya'all going jumping all over me about Harry's new scar, I remind you that there are 19 years for it to fade...and since there is an infuriating lack of detail in the epilouge, I could leave it! I dunno yet.

AND TO ALL YOU MALFOY FANS, HE WILL SHOW UP EVENTUALLY!

REVIEW PEOPLE! AND NO MORE OF THIS SMILEY FACE STUFF! SOME REAL ONES, PLEASE AND THANK YOU! SMILEY FACES ARE NICE, BUT DON'T HELP ME DECIDE PLOTS AND SUCH!

ONCE MORE, REVIEW!


	6. Heroes in the Hospital

After The War: The Rise of the Dark Lady

Chapter 6

Hero in the Hospital

After Harry and Ron had been taken to the hospital, the Aurors that had restrained Hermione and Ginny took them by Side-Along Apparation back to the Burrow. After leaving Mrs. Weasley with strict orders to not allow the girls out of her sight, they left, leaving Ginny and Hermione to try and explain what had happened to a distraught Mrs. Weasley. This proved difficult, since they were in just as bad, if not worse, condition then she was. Their first attempt at going to visit the boys was blocked when they had attempted to cross the boundaries of the Burrow's property line. They had stepped precisely one yard out of the gate where they rather painfully encountered a hard, impenetrable wall. Nothing they tried had done anything whatsoever to the wall, and within minutes an Auror had arrived to find out what was going on. Unfortunately for the Auror (who turned out to be Dawlish) the three women had decided that they were going to go see the boys, no matter what. As soon as he Apparated and walked through the barrier, he found himself in a Full Body-Bind curse with three _very_ scary women pointing wands at him. After ensuring that he was alone, they consented to release the body bind…even so, he was gonna play it safe. It was a foolish proposition to go against these three, especially given the circumstances.

"Ladies, I understand that you are upset about this, but rest assured that the Ministry and St. Mungo's are doing everything in their power to watch over and heal two of the saviors of Wizarding world. Everything is being taken care off. If you could just lower your wands, then…." He said, holding his hands away from his sides and -especially- away from his wand.

"We don't particularly care. My son and the boy who might as well be are in the hospital, in critical condition! I don't want to hear that "everything is being taken care of", I want to see my sons!" Molly growled, looking frightening indeed.

"And we want to see our boys!" said Hermione continued, looking resolved.

"So you, Dawlish, are going to take us too St. Mungo's like it was planned, or I will hex you into oblivion and back again!" finished Ginny.

Dawlish thought desperately but he couldn't figure out a way out of it. He sighed, resigned.

"Fine, fine, we can take the Knight Bus. Are you three ready or do you need to get stuff inside?" The last was hopeful, since if they went inside to get ready he could get away.

"Nice try, Dawlish. All we need is ourselves and our wands, so let's get a move on." replied Hermione, gesturing for him to precede them off of the premises.

They stepped through the barrier, and Dawlish flung out his wand arm. With a loud BANG a bright purple, double-decker bus appeared and screeched to a halt. All four of them trooped aboard, gave their destination, and sat down.

"Take it away, Ernie!" said Stan Shunpike, and the bus accelerated violently with another BANG.

"'ey, you're that Granger girl ain'tcha? And you two 're Weasleys! Do you know what happened to 'Arry and that other Weasley? All over the news and papers, that is. Not that they know much, 'course, but all sortsa rumors flying around." He said, looking around at them. He adopted a wheedling tone as he continued. "Don't suppose you could shed some light on the subject."

"What do you mean, all over the news and papers? We haven't heard anything." Mrs. Weasley said, confused. Dawlish shifted uncomfortably, and Ginny and Hermione turned their gazes, now glares, onto him. He shrunk back, looking quite guilty.

"Dawlish?" Ginny asked dangerously.

"I'm sorry! I had my orders. The Minister thought that it might be a good idea from seeing the paper. All the rumors and wild stories wouldn't have done you three any good, so…" Dawlish let his voice trail off.

"So…what? Are you saying you are intercepting our mail? And not telling us about our boys at the same time?" Hermione cried, outraged. She turned to Stan, who quailed under her glare. "You! Give me the latest paper! Now!"

"Alright, alright. Take it easy." Stan said, grabbing the paper from next to Ernie. "'ere you go, read on."

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny joined her in reading the paper:

_**HARRY POTTER AND RON WEASLEY HOSPITALIZED**_

**St. Mungo's under heavy protection, Aurors deployed as guards!**

_The Boy-Who-Lived and his close friend and companion, Ronald Weasley, were admitted to the hospital late last night. Our reporters were unable to discern the whole of what occurred, but nonetheless, the Daily Prophet is the first to give you all available details._

_In the waning hours of yesterday evening, Mr. Potter was residing within his home at 12 Grimmauld Place, one-time Headquarters of the renowned Order of the Phoenix. Miss Hermione Granger, his other companion and close friend, rumored to be romantically involved with Mr. Ron Weasley, was with him. Apparently, Mr. Potter was alerted to an attack on the wards by partied unknown. Upon their destruction of the wards, Death Eaters proceeded to storm the building, intent on killing Potter for slaying He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Potter was able to hold them off while sending Miss Granger to retrieve Aurors for help. Through the course of the battle, Mr. Potter's house-elf was sent to the Burrow, after sustaining severe injuries. Upon his arrival, Mr. Weasley left to assist Mr. Potter. Mrs. Weasley took the elf to St. Mungo's, while young Miss Ginerva Weasley, who is said to be the love interest of Mr. Potter, was apparently instructed to remain home. She refused, following her brother into battle. At the same time she arrived, the Minister arrived with reinforcements, who immediately entered the fray. One unit was left to guard Miss Granger and Miss Weasley. After 45 minutes, the Death Eaters were forced to retreat by the Aurors. However, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley were injured several times, as they were primary targets, and in critical condition. St. Mungo's healers arrived quickly and transported them to the ICU. Witnesses attest that Miss Granger and Miss Weasley refused to be parted from the two young men, and had to be forcibly removed by Aurors._

_More information will be published in Special Editions as it become available._

"You were hiding this from us? Dawlish, how was this supposed to hurt us? We saw all this happen!" Ginny asked, incredulous.

"Hey, don't yell at me! I just followed orders, okay! Personally, I think you can handle stuff better than most people, given the things you three, but especially you to girls, have accomplished in this war." Dawlish said, raising his hands defensively.

"Whatever. Just get us there, fast." Hermione growled.

"Right you are, miss. Next stop, St. Mungo's!" Stan said.

30 minutes later, Dawlish lead the three women into the St. Mungo's Hospital Lobby. The women looked around, surprised at how different it was from the last time they had visited. Aurors were everywhere, and several regular Law Enforcement types were patrolling as well. Security had been increased tenfold, and an entire wing was cordoned off as a perimeter around the area where Dawlish said Harry and Ron were. The government was taking no chance that any further harm would befall the two heroes.

Dawlish walked up to the two Aurors guarding the doors into the ward Harry and Ron were in.

"Auror Dawlish, bringing Hermione Granger, Ginerva Weasley, and Molly Weasley to visit the patients." He said, sounding very official.

"I don't know if that is a good idea. Those two are exuding massive power. The last time someone approached them, he was rendered unconscious in seconds. It seems like some sort of defense that their subconsciouses are putting up. A healer cast a diagnosis spell and apparently their brain activity is off the charts as well. It looks like their memory cortexes are expanding at an insane rate." said a voice from behind them. The three women turned to see who it was and saw the Chief Healer of St. Mungo's walking towards them.

"So, are you saying that the expansion of their memory cortexes are…what? Representing a longer than possible life span?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"You must be Miss Granger, I had heard of how bright you were. You are entirely correct, their memories seem to be representing something more like 60 years, instead of 17, which is, of course…" the Healer said, smiling at her slightly.

"Utterly impossible, so then…" Hermione continued.

"They are logically experiencing the memories of someone else. Naturally, that seems impossible, but you three have made a habit of impossibility, so I am trying to keep an open mind." The Healer finished.

"English, please, for those of us that don't speak Healer?" Ginny asked, plaintively.

"Don't worry about it, Ginny. Pretty much, it means that they have more memories than is physically possible, given the length of their lives." Hermione explained.

"Oh, okay. Can we see them now?" Ginny said dismissively. Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend's attitude to such important information. Not that she entirely disagreed. Information was important, but seeing her boys was more important, especially Ron.

"If you insist, but be careful. Who knows what could happen. Especially with that aura they have up. We don't know what could happen if you get to close to it. Like I said before, those two have rendered three separate Healers unconscious simply by being near them."

The Healer opened the door and Hermione and Ginny ran in, only to drop into a dead faint as soon as they got within 2 yards of the boys. The Healer quickly cast a diagnosis charm, and sighed. Turning to the now horribly distraught Mrs. Weasley, he sighed and shook his head.

"Looks like the same thing is happening to them. I don't know what to tell you, but it seems like they will be here for a while. I'll have beds made up for you and the two ladies here." He said resignedly.

"Okay, thank you very much. Please, just do the best you can." Mrs. Weasley replied, looking helplessly at the four now-unconscious teens. "I guess all we can do is wait."


	7. The Nexus of Camaraderie

**HEY GUYS, HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER! ALL THE STUFF IN ITALICS IS BECAUSE, SINCE THEY ARE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, ITS GOT THE OTHERWORLDY FEEL. THE SPEECH ISN'T IN ITALICS TO MAKE IT EASIER TO READ! HERE YOU GO! NEXT ONE IS GETTING WORKED ON NOW, SO HOPEFULLY A SHORT WAIT FOR IT!**

After the War: Rise of the Dark Lady

Chapter 7

The Nexus of Camaraderie

_Harry was drifting through the empty light, but he was not alone. Beside him stood Ron. Although they were covered in injuries, they felt no pain._

"Harry? Where are we? What's going on?" _Ron asked, staring around them._

"I'm not certain, but…I think this is the place between worlds. I came here when Voldemort killed me in the forest. I can't think of why we are here again, though. None of our injuries were that bad." _Harry replied with a shrug._

"Correct, they were not, in fact, that bad. However, you have been brought here to fulfill your destiny." _A familiar voice said._

_The boys turned in its direction, and saw Professor Dumbledore standing with a group of people a little ways of. The boys walked over and stood in front of them._

"Good to see you again, Sir." _Harry said cheerfully, not at all unnerved by being in the presence of dead people._ "What did you mean, about my destiny? Moldyshorts is dead, right? That was my destiny."

"Moldyshorts?" _asked another familiar voice from behind Dumbledore._

"Sirius!" _Harry cried, grabbing his godfather into a hug. Sirius laughed and clapped him on the back._

"So, Moldyshorts?" _he pressed, and Harry grinned._

"Yeah. Pevves made up a song after the battle about how Voldy went moldy, and since mort kinda rhymes with short, we decided to call him Moldyshorts. Ginny came up with it."

"Oh, yes. I hear you and Ginny are getting along very well nowadays." _Sirius said with a knowing wink._

"Oh, shut it. But how did you know?" _Harry said, rolling his eyes._

"That would be thanks to me." _Said Fred, coming up to them. Harry felt like he had been stabbed in the chest._

"Fred, I'm so sorry, it's all my…" _he started, sadly._

"OI!" _Fred shouted so loudly Harry jumped._

"What? I'm trying to apologize here!" _Harry said, bewildered._

"That's precisely what the problem is! You didn't do anything wrong! Damn it all, stop blaming yourself! I know what Georgie told you, and I agree wholeheartedly." _Fred bellowed, and Harry smiled, albeit a little watery in the eyes._

"Okay, then. If that's how you feel." _He said_

"It is. Now, Dumbles, the others should be here soon right?" _Fred said, looking at his old Headmaster._

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. Young Misses Granger and Weasley are at St. Mungo's now, and their spirits should be here soon. The rest are already coming, asleep in their various homes." _Dumbledore replied, eyes twinkling, in spite of (or perhaps because of) one of his students referring to him as 'Dumbles'._

_As if on cue, Hermione and Ginny appeared, looking very confused._

"Harry!" _Ginny cried, running over to him and throwing her arms around him. Hermione did the same to Ron, and those who were watching laughed._

"Where are we?" _asked Ginny and Hermione in unison._

"The Place Between Worlds." _answered Dumbledore calmly._

"Basically, we are neither alive nor dead." _Said Harry_

"Well, not entirely. But I think we will save the explanations until the rest are here." _Dumbledore disagreed with a small smile._

"Who else is coming, Sir?" _asked Hermione._

"You will see. Here they are now." _Was his only reply._

_Light coalesced into the forms of 28 other teens, in two distinct groups. The closest to Harry had people who were very familiar indeed, even if not all of them were entirely likable._

_Draco Malfoy and a tall girl with long dark hair and brown eyes stood towards the front, along with Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigan. Behind them were Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, and George Weasley. Behind them stood Katie Bell, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Oliver Wood._

_The other group was composed of total stranger who didn't look to happy about being there, but Harry's scrutiny of them was interrupted when Lee, George, Angelina, Katie, Alicia and Oliver walked past the front row and stared, dumbstruck, at Fred._

"Freddie? Is that you? I mean, is it really you?" _George asked haltingly._

"Of course it is, dumbass, who else is as attractive as me? At least I still have both ears! Now come over here and gimme a nice brotherly hug." _Fred replied with a smirk and a roll of his eyes._

_George walked over as though in a daze. Opening his arms, he went to hug friend, only to abruptly find himself in a headlock getting a noogie._

"What the hell? You jerk, I'm trying to be loving and emotional here!" _he hollered, shoving Fred off of him and jumping him. After a few minutes of tussling, they sat on the "ground" panting._

"There, now that I've kicked your ass, you can stop feeling guilty about not dying with me." _Fred said, smirking._ "And the whole thing with Angelina three days ago on that hill in the middle of the fields, don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you. Either of you. I want you to move on, okay?"

"Take it easy, boys. No need to embarrass anyone." _Said a voice, as two older men stepped out of the group behind Dumbledore._

"Uncle Gideon? Uncle Fabian?" _gasped George, mouth hanging open in shock._

"Duh, squirt. Who else would we be?" _Fabian Prewett said with a grin._

_Before anyone could say anything else, and angry voice interrupted them._

"Look, what the hell is going on here? Is this some sort of kidnapping thing, or what?"

_Harry turned to look at who was speaking. It was a tall, well muscled young man at the fore of the group of strangers._

"Technically, you're in between life and death. I'm sure that everything will be explained, so shut up and sit down." _Ron said, annoyed by this interloper's rudeness._

"Shut it, red-head. I'll teach you." _The other boy snarled, going for his wand. It was barely half drawn when there was a flash and he went flying back into his friends, his wand spinning through the air and landing in Harry's outstretched hand_.

"None of that. If I have to, I'll knock you out next time." _Harry said warningly, waving one finger in a tsk-tsk gesture._

"You bastard! I'll tear you limb from limb!" _the other boy shouted, getting to his feet, looking furious._

"Not likely. You're no match for Harry." _Scoffed Ginny, glaring at the boy._

"Well then, I guess we will have to help him!" _hissed another one of the boys from the other group as the majority of them drew their wands._

_Harry sighed with exasperation and motioned for his friends to stand back._

"I don't suppose you can be convinced to listen to reason?" _he asked calmly, tossing the first boy's wand back to him._

"Ha, after you blow Gael across the room? Not likely. Besides, it's one on sixteen! Maybe you want to ask for help?" _the boy scoffed, before looking at Harry's group._

"Nope, he doesn't need any help from us…he fought 20 Death Eaters to a draw." _Chuckled Neville._

"Pfft, this shrimp? As if! STUPEFY!"

_Jets of light flew from several of the strangers' wands, but Harry cast a powerful shield charm. Blocking the majority and dodging the rest._

"**FRANGE TERRAM!**" _Harry shouted, thrusting his wand at the ground. With a rumble, four large cracks raced across the ground towards the other group. Right before it hit, Harry shouted_ "**FINITE!**" _and the cracks stopped._

"Now, that's the way you get someone's attention. Well done, son!" _Harry heard from behind him, and he turned, eyes wide._

"Dad? And Mom?" _he whispered, looking at the smiling couple._

"Harry, you should know better than to show off! Honestly, you're just like your father!" _Lily scolded, but smiling as she did so._

"Now, Lily, they attacked him first! Besides, it looks like he got some extra firepower no one knew about." _James admonished his wife, grinning broadly at his son._

"Well, Harry has 'died' 3 times now. From what I understand of ancient magic, that offers quite the boost in power. Moreover, since he is now an adult, the natural locks on his magical core have been released. I believe that these increases in power are directly proportional to the various pains and hardships Harry has experienced." _Dumbledore said, in what was clearly meant to be an explanatory fashion, although only Hermione and Lily looked as though they understood any of it._

"Err…come again, Sir?" _Harry said blankly, looking thoroughly confused._

"Oh, honestly, Harry! Don't you ever read?" _Hermione said, exasperated._

"Why should I? I can just ask you anything I need to know, can't I?" _Harry replied, smirking cheekily at her while Ron, James, and Sirius laughed._

"Prats." _Hermione, Lily, and Ginny said, glaring at their respective boys, who only laughed harder._

"Hey, kid with the spiky black hair, what the hell is going on here?" _the first boy, who had been called Gael by his friends, shouted._

"Why are you asking me?" _Harry replied, glancing over unconcernedly._

"Cause it looks to me like you're in charge! So can someone explain to me what is going on?"

"Yes, Gaelein, I can. Why don't you and Sephiria bring your friends over here and allow me to explain?" _Dumbledore said calmly, and the other group was visibly shocked. They wandered over, slowly and hesitantly, as though they expected to be attacked at any given moment._

"Now," _Dumbledore said, once they were standing next to the Hogwartians_. "I think that it is time for us all to introduce our selves. Harry, your group will begin."

"Alright, then. My name is Harry Potter. This is Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley." _Harry said, pointing to each in turn as he introduced them all. After he had finished, the young man, Gael, stepped forward._

"I will introduce us in a moment. First, what proof do we have that a scrawny little punk like you is the legendary 'Boy-Who-Lived'? That someone like you beat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"How about this proof, moron, he just beat your ass like he was talking a walk in the park!" _Ginny hissed, incensed. She looked ready to say more, but stopped when Harry laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. The other hand brushed the hair away from his forehead, revealing the lightning-shaped scar that had been there his whole life._

"Frankly, whoever you are, I don't care whether or not you believe me. Shut up, sit down, and listen." _Harry said decisively, his tone allowing no argument._ "Professor, explain, please."

"Well, it is hardly my place to explain the whole story. I can simply say that there is much more that must be done, and someone worse than Voldemort is on the move." _Dumbledore said calmly, as though he was discussing the weather as opposed to a reality-shattering statement._

_There was an instant uproar as everyone but Harry shouted denials or scoffed at such an idea. Someone worse than Voldemort? Impossible! Yet Harry sat there, and wondered. True, he too had trouble believing such a proclamation, but still...the Professor was not prone to either exaggeration or inducing panic._

"Perhaps you could explain that, Professor, or bring someone who can?" _he suggested quietly, his calmness cutting through the rest of the teens bluster like a scythe through wheat._

"Naturally, Harry, I have someone with me already." _Dumbledore said, as a man with black hair rather like Harry's stepped up next to him._

"Hello, Harry. My name is Arthur Pendragon." _the man said, and everyone stared._ "I need your help."

**A/N: SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG, EVERYONE! MY COMPUTER IS WELL AND TRULY DEAD AND MY LIBRARY SYSTEM HAS BEEN BUSTED AT LEAST TWICE A WEEK. THE SCHOOL WON'T LET US USE THE COMP LAB MUCH ANYMORE, SO I'VE HAD TO DO A PARAGRAPH AND A PARAGRAPH THERE. THE "OTHER GROUP", WHICH IS GOING TO BE AMERICAN'S FROM MASSACHUSETTS WILL BE INTRODUCED. IF ANY OF YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS, LEMME KNOW! I AM CURIOUS!**

**REVIEW!  
REVIEW!  
REVIEW!  
**


	8. The Truth Revealed

A/N Sorry guys, I was planning on putting this on hiatus because my computer died, but the timely simultaneous arrival of a new computer and Blade of Ink's (my brother's) argument of his enjoying it, and his constant harassment, lead me to have faith in my skills. I hope I don't disappoint you guys! Finally, at long last, Chapter 8!

Harry Potter: After the War: Rise of the Dark Lady

Chapter 8

The Truth Revealed

There was total silence for perhaps 30 seconds as everyone stared incredulously at Arthur. Then everyone -barring Harry and the dead people- started shouting questions or scoffing loudly over each-other. Harry, for his part, simply sat there quietly. Once all the fervor had calmed down a bit, Hermione said what most of them had been thinking:

"So, wait, you really existed? But...you're just a legend!"

"Come now, Miss Granger, you ought to know better than that! How many times have you tried to prove Harry wrong, only to be wrong yourself?" Arthur replied with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, and then shut again, her brow furrowing as the point went home.

"What can we teens do for you? Your Majesty?" asked Astoria, coming over with an unhappy looking Draco in tow.

"A fine question, Miss Greengrass. Honestly, at your present strengths, you can do nothing for me. Harry is, perhaps, the only one with the power. You ALL lack the proper training and discipline to survive the battle yet to come." Arthur said, shaking his head. "Wizards and witches were much more skilled in my day. What is the world coming to?" he lamented, and the majority of the teens present bristled-the Four included- and several glared outright.

"Not quite fair, Arthur. They have great potential." said a woman with long red hair as she and another women with raven-black joined Arthur. "The old magics have become diluted and forgotten over time."

"Gwen, half of them would die in their first battle, and the rest would live only if they ran!" Arthur protested, although his face lit up at the sight of the redhead.

"Gwen? If he is King Arthur, then you must be...' Hermione said, her voice trailing off as her eyes grew.

Queen Guinevere of Camelot laughed and nodded. "Yes Hermione, I am indeed Guinevere. But, in truth, my husband and I are no longer royalty in truth."

"Gwen, we all still consider you both to be our King and Queen. You know that." the raven-haired women sighed, but with a small grin.

"Dearest Sister Morgana, your embarrassing me in front of the children." Arthur said, faking a blush.

"Morgana Le Fey?" Hermione whispered, and instantly every Muggleborn and Harry had their wands out and pointed straight at her chest. Just as fast, at least two dozen men and women appeared, flanking Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen. The atmosphere grew very tense as the two sides stood and stared-or glared- at each other.

"Enough of this foolishness! We are wasting time threatening each other while the Dark is stirring again!" said a very tall young man with long black hair and blue eyes. Beside him stood a young woman with long red hair and deep green eyes.

"Lord Merlin, they threatened my Lady Morgana!" protested one of the men, black eyes never leaving Ron's wand.

"And King Arthur." Added a blue eyed beauty from beside him.

"That's because the modern world is under the impression that Morgana betrayed her brother and attempted to bring about his death, in fact succeeding through their son, Mordred." Merlin replied calmly, before turning to the group of teens.

"I am, as you no doubt hear, Merlin. This is my wife Nimue. Pleased to meet you, Harry." He said, smiling, and Harry couldn't help but smile back. He was very likeable.

"Pleased to meet you as well, sir. How do you know my name?" Harry asked, and Merlin laughed.

"Simple enough, son. I've been keeping an eye on you for many years, as has Arthur. After all, how can we not keep an eye on our favorite descendant?"

"WHAT?" Harry yelped, shocked. "I'm not descended from you, I can't be!"  
"Why not, son? You know that the Potter family is old, and have a mansion and vault, so why can't we be descended from Arthur, who is descended for Merlin." James Potter asked, amused at his sons reactions.

"I don't know anything about our family, or anything about a mansion!" Harry cried, feeling overwhelmed. "And if Merlin is Arthur's ancestor, then how were they alive at the same time?"

"Harry, calm down. I'm sure they will explain themselves." Ginny said, laying an hand on his arm, before glaring at all the adults. "You will explain yourselves, right? Because we just finished a war, and a little downtime would be nice."

"I agree with the red-head. Let's get this done; I have a date in a few hours." Gael said amid mutters of agreement.

"You already missed your date; you've been asleep for 12 hours at this point." Merlin said, and everyone one exclaimed and shouted questions. "Enough! As you said, let's finish this. Harry, you are my descendant. You have great power, which was locked away until you were old enough to be able to retain control over it. I can explain more later. Arthur?"

"The main issue here is that there are far greater threats to the world then Lord Voldemort, and they are waking up. My sister, Morgause, is waking up from the enchanted sleep she was forced into by Merlin, Nimue, and 6 others. All the darkness in the world is calling to her, and strengthening her slowly."

"I thought Morgause was the nice sister?" one of the American's said, confused.

"Take everything you ever heard about me, multiply the evil by 3 or 4, and put her name in front of it. She, not I, is Mordred's mother. She, not I, raised him to hate our brother." Morgana said, coldly, although the coldness was not directed at anyone there.

"So, your evil sister is coming back, and we're supposed to stop her? I suppose you lot will be teaching us what we need to know to beat her kind of magic?" Harry said, resigned to the fact that his life would never be peaceful or normal.

"Well, yes and no." Merlin said, as he pulled a pocket watch out of his jacket. "Now, however, we can do nothing. We are just about out of time. Now, all of your bodies are at St. Mungo's hospital, in the same room. Your parents are all there and quite acquainted. After all, you've been asleep for several days."

"What? Ten minutes ago it was only 12 hours!" said Ron, shocked.

"Yes, well, time can fly when you aren't in the material world." Merlin replied airily. "Of you go, children!"

The world twisted around them and Harry's eyes-his real, physical eyes- and sat up slowly.

"Harry, you're finally awake!" shouted Ginny, throwing her arms around him and kissing him fiercely.

"C'mon, you can't have woken up much earlier than me!" he said after they came up for air. "We only just left."

"Mer…_he_ said that time is different, right? I've been awake for 6 hours!" Ginny said, and Harry frowned.

"You sure, Gin?" he asked, not doubting her but simple incredulous.

"Oh, my daughter is sure all right. She refused to leave your side when she woke up. Want to know how she and Hermione got past security when you two boys were in lockdown here?" Mr. Weasley said with a grin as he came up behind Ginny.

"Dad, shut up!" Ginny squealed, and Harry grinned. Her reaction suggested it would be a good story.

"Yes, I would love to hear the story, and I'm sure Ron would too. Is he up yet?" Harry replied, smirking as Ginny sighed resignedly.

"Yeah, I'm awake and right here, mate." Ron said from his left, and Harry smiled broadly as he looked over and saw Hermione sitting in his lap with her arms around his head. "This I need to hear."

"Well, it went like this…" Mr. Weasley told the tale of how the girls had captured Dawlish and coerced him into getting them through security here at the hospital. By then end, Harry and Ron were howling and the girls were blushing furiously as they tried to hide their faces in their boys' chests.

"Scary, ladies, scary." Harry chortled and Ginny smacked his chest.

"Well, it was Hermione's idea to sneak in here!" she protested.

"And it was your idea to force an Auror to help us!" Hermione shot back, and the boys laughed even louder. Their laughter was echoed by a deep, strong and low male voice from the door. Kingsley Shacklebolt was at the door.

"Kingsley...er…Minister! What are you doing here?" Harry said, remaining on his bed, unable to get up to greet him due to a certain red-headed presence on his lap.

"Right on both counts, Harry. Please, let's stick with Kingsley in private. I was Kingsley to you long before I was Minister." Shacklebolt replied with a grin as he moved farther into the room. "Funnily enough, I heard a story about that recently from someone. Something about a terrifying girl with brown hair saying that she had to see "her boys" right away, and then a certain redhead threatening to blast him to oblivion? Now, who could these girls be, I wonder?"

"'her boys'", huh? Looks like Hermione has claimed you to, Harry! Mr. Weasley said, and Hermione flushed with a small smile.

"They are my boys." She replied, and Harry and Ron nodded at her in agreement. "They always have been."

"And you've always been ours, love." Ron said, kissing the top of her head.

"And now Ginny had joined us as well. Now the Three are Four." Harry said, doing the same to Ginny. "So, what can we do for you, Kingsley?"

"Nothing, just heard that all of you were waking up, wondering if you could explain what's going on here?" Kingsley asked, gesturing around the room. Harry looked around and saw that the room was filled with other teens and their parents.

"Not yet, sir, but as soon as I can, I will. I swear it." Harry said, no longer sounding like Kingsley's friend, but like an Auror reporting to his commander. Kingsley smiled inwardly when he heard it. He looked forward to the day where the Four joined the Aurors. That day would be a great day indeed for the Ministry. Minerva had told the Order years back in Harry's fifth year about his goal, and it had been confirmed when the three of them had announced they were planning on joining up. He knew without a doubt that Ginny would follow, even if only to keep an eye on Harry.

"Very well, in that case, head home. Harry, Gringotts wants to see you immediately." He said aloud, and Harry grimaced.

"I'll head there now." He replied. "'Mione, Gin, Ron, you guys head back to the Burrow."

"Not likely, we know what the goblins are like mate. You need me to watch your back." Ron scoffed as he and Hermione stood up and waited by the door while Ginny stood and held her hand out to Harry.

"Idiot, did you really think we wouldn't come with you?" she asked, shaking her head, and he grinned.

"I have no idea what came over me, love." He replied, sounding properly chastised. "Let's go."

A/N Yep, so that's the plot. Morgause and Mordred are coming back to try and plunge the world into a new dark age. Should be fun, no? PLEASE REVIEW! I want to know what you guys think about this little plan of mine, and whether or not it's a good idea. The Next chapter will be Gringotts and Harry's inheritance/ homecoming.


	9. Gringotts and Inheritance

A/N: well guys, here we are! Chapter nine! I'm glad you guys have all decided to stick with me! I must admit, I thought the majority of you would tell me to take a hike when I revealed the plot! I guess I just didn't have enough faith in my writing! Now, review replies:

The Darkest Wizard, Cole the Demon Hunter, and David Fishwick: I thank you for your support and kind words. It is very encouraging and makes me want to continue posting!

The Queen of Valencia Torgue: First of all, it took me forever to figure out what PDOA is. Public Displays of Affection, right? Fair warning, most people just say PDA, so I was confused. PDA is a big part of all my stories because it is a very big part of life. Moreover, they have been separated and in a war for almost a year. If I was them, I would kiss and hold the other as much as possible, even if only to reassure myself that they are still alive. Not a criticism, that's just my viewpoint. As for all the swearing, they are war veterans now, and vets tend to swear. I'll work on it, but it's another one of those things. I will never swear if the swear is not appropriate for the circumstances, as it were. Of that, I can assure you.

And now, we go! Chapter Nine, roll on! See you at the end, haha!

Harry Potter-After the War: The Rise of the Dark Lady

Chapter Nine

Gringotts and Inheritance

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione left the hospital room, saying that they would return soon. They disApparated together, arriving in the Leaky Cauldron a moment later. The few patrons present in the bar looked up in surprise and some fear at the sudden entry, and Harry smiled understandingly as they went for their wands.

"Easy, everyone. No Death Eaters here, just on our way to the bank."

Everyone in the bar relaxed, and got up, walking over to the group and informed Harry how pleased they were that Harry had recovered, as well as his friends. They showed Harry some of the headlines that talked about what was now being referred to as "The Mass Fainting Incident", since a total of 32 teens from Britain and America had collapsed in a short time frame. They also congratulated them on their fighting prowess. All of them, they explained, had fought at the battle, and saw the Four fight. Not only Harry was congratulated, either. Hermione and Ginny were praised for their prowess in dueling Bellatrix, while Ron was praised for his skill in battling multiple opponents. Apparently, at some point, he had fought 4 Death Eaters alone, and disabled them with several minor injuries that didn't kill, but incapacitated them. Harry was, of course, praised for the defeat of Voldemort himself.

"Anything for you and your friends, Master Potter?" asked Tom with a deep bow, and Harry rolled his eyes heavenward.

"I'm not a Master, Tom. Just an old friend. Please, use my first name." he said, smiling at the old barkeep. "Four butterbeers, and a round for the others, whatever they want. Take one for yourself, as well." He continued, sliding several gold Galleons across the bar.

"Take it all on the house, Ma…Harry." Tom said, correcting himself even as he slid the gold back to Harry. Harry, for his part, simply stepped back, refusing to take it.

"Not likely, Tom! I doubt business was all that good this past year, what with Voldemort's Death Eaters running the country." He said firmly, his expression indicating a manifest refusal to reconsider.

"So, what brings to the Alley today, Harry?" Tom asked as he slid the Four's butterbeers across the bar.

"Apparently, Gringotts wants to talk to me. They sent a letter to the Minister himself asking him to send me too them." Harry said easily, perching on a barstool and leaning on the counter. "This lot came along because they were worried that the goblins might hold a bit of a grudge from before."

"Is it true, then? Did you really break into Gringotts, steal something from a high security vault, and then escape on a dragon?" asked one of the other patrons, accepting his round of firewhiskey from Tom.

"Yeah, we did, but what we stole was instrumental to defeating Voldemort." Harry replied, ignoring the shudders at the name, although he did notice none of his friends were among those who reacted. It was about bloody time, in his opinion.

"How so?" asked another patron, and he smiled in reply.

"Everyone will find out once I brief the Minister. After that, we three" here he indicated to himself, Ron, and Hermione. "will probably give a paper the full story."

"Are you sure, Harry?" asked Hermione, knowing that it would be hard to tell.

"The world deserves to know how he was brought down." Harry replied with a shrug.

"Talking of which, how is it that I haven't heard the entire story yet?" Ginny asked, frowning at Harry, who winced a little in response.

"Sorry, Gin. I promise you will, before the rest, but now isn't the time, is it?" he said wryly, and she shook her head in annoyance.

"Fine then, but as soon as we get home I want to hear it. All of it." She replied firmly, and he nodded agreeably. Not that he had much choice if he wanted to survive. Shaking himself mentally, he got to his feet, closely followed by his friends, and spoke to the room at large:

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet all of you, but we four need to get our errands done and head back. Otherwise, certain adults will be coming after us with clubs to drag us back bodily." Ron, Hermione, and Ginny grinned, well aware that he was talking about Mrs. Weasley. Before they could leave, however, the door slammed open and a swarm of camera and microphone wielding reporters surged into the building. Surrounding the Four, they started yelling questions and firing off flashes from their cameras. Much to their extreme distaste, as they tried to shove their way through the crowd to leave, Umbridge of all people popped up out of the crowd.

"Harry, would you care to come to the Ministry and answer a few questions about where you have been for the last year? What happened at the final battle? How did you kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"I don't want to talk to anyone at the moment, but especially not you, Umbridge." Harry said coldly, anger rising as he looked at the women who had caused him so much grief at school and who had tried to tarnish Dumbledore's reputation.

"Come on now, you're not holding a grudge are you? The Chosen One, the one who saved the Wixarding world, would never hold a grudge against a Ministry worker who only ever did her duty?" Umbridge said, smirking maliciously. She directed her attention to Ginny next. "Miss Weasley, care to come along and tell us how you feel about Mr. Potter, after he dumped you to go off on an adventure with Miss Granger?"

"Oi, don't go talking to my sister, especially about what you don't know. I was with Harry and Hermione, so don't you go implying there was anything going on." Ron said sharply, only to draw her attention to him.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley. Jealous of your friend and Miss Granger? Why don't you tell us all about it? Better yet, Miss Granger can tell us!" Umbridge smirked again, clearly under the impression that the expressions on her 'victims' faces were ones of fear or distress, when in fact all four hands were itching towards their wands. Actually, Hermione wasn't going for her wand (although the temptation was overwhelming). Instead, she let one finger brush slowly over a large gold coin in her pocket as she murmured something indecipherable. Had anyone seen it, they might have wondered why the Galleon suddenly glowed, or why the lettering on it changed.

"Miss Granger, how does it feel to have been on the run with yet another love triangle that included Harry? How…" Umbridge was saying to her, but a loud voice behind the crowd inturupted her, and Hermione smirked.

"Listen, lady, the Four already indicated that they don't want to talk to you, so why don't you beat it?" Neville Longbottom said coldly as he shouldered his way past Umbridge to join the Four, closely followed by Luna, George, and Angelina.

"Mr. Longbottom, care to tell me how you feel after the death of your parent's torturer is finally dead?" Umbridge asked, ignoring his words. Neville glared at her with undisguised disgust, but before he could reply, George stepped in.

"Look, no one else wants you here, Umbridge. I suggest that you leave, before something unfortunate happens." He said casually, but with a hard undertone that made several reporters back away nervously.

"No, I think not, Mr. Weasley. It is the Ministry's duty to tell the public the _truth_." Umbridge replied, smirking at him. He felt nervous all of a sudden, like she knew something bad. The scars on the back of Harry's hand ached fiercely as he glared at her. "While you're here, care to tell us how your brother died in battle while you lived? How is it that, before even a Memorial is built, you are already moving in on his girl? Was it mere coincidence that he died while you lived?"

George went white with mingled pain and rage. He slowly reached into his pocket, preparing to blast Umbridge into oblivion, but Harry beat him to it. He moved past his friends, visibly shaking with rage.

"Leave now, before you get hurt, Umbridge. I don't know or care how you got your information, but I recommend that you vanish. Quickly." He hissed, and more than one person retreated as far from possible, not wanting to be too close to Umbridge, where they might catch any fallout of Harry's wrath. Most of them had the same questions as her, but they wouldn't have been so rude, reckless, or downright condescendingly insulting about the way that they asked them. "You aren't some reporter Umbridge, which makes this a blatant violation of personal privacy and security."

Umbridge gave a shrill little laugh of derision. "You mustn't threaten Ministry employees, Mr. Potter! It might end up….badly for you and your friends." Umbridge said slyly with a cruel sneer, and everyone in the room gaped at her. She was actually _threatening_ HARRY POTTER, the man who came back from the dead! The Chosen One! The man who killed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! It was suicide, especially when she was outnumbered 8-to-1!

"Perhaps you didn't understand me." Harry said, unaware that his eyes were taking on a golden hue, nor that his eyebrow was twitching as he glared at her. "I told you to leave. You will NOT cause my friends any more distress than you have."

"Distress? What are personal feelings next to the Truth? You must not tell lies, Harry!" Umbridge tittered back, still carefree and rude, despite the looks and the muttering that was heading her way from the spectators.

"Clearly your ego and stupidity have grown since you ruled Ministry during Voldemort's reign. Leave. Now." Harry growled. Umbridge cackled suddenly, sounding rather psychotic.

"Yes, I ruled the Ministry when The Dark Lord reigned!" she said, drawing her wand suddenly. "And I will rule it again when the Dark Lady rises! Now, die!" Before anyone could move, a jet of green light erupted from her wand, smashing into the center Harry's torso. He crumpled to the ground, and the tavern erupted. Several Death Eaters appeared, and started throwing spells at everyone nearby, while Umbridge disApparated. Ron, George, and Neville shoved the girls behind overturned tables as the patrons began exchanging fire with the Death Eaters. Within minutes, one Death Eater had been wounded and three patrons were dead. All of the Death Eaters were dueling to kill, and were firing off Killing Curses indiscriminately. Crouched behind a table with Hermione and Ginny, Ron cursed.

"This isn't good, 'Mione! Harry's dead, and none of the rest of us can get close enough to fight these guys!" he yelled over the noise

"I know, I'm working on it!" she yelled back, pulling out her Galleon and muttering to it. She put it away after a moment and re-drew her wand. "Okay, the D.A. is on its way, along with some help!"

Beside them, Ginny wasn't even trying to fight. She just sat there, rocking back and forth murmuring Harry's name as tears poured down her face. They had been safe. The war had finally been over, they were finally back together, and now….he was dead. It hadn't been Voldemort who cursed him, so whatever immunity to Voldemort's attacks his mother had given him had been irrelevant. She couldn't take this anymore. First Harry, then Fred, and now Harry again. Soon enough, the rest of the D.A. arrived along with some Aurors and quickly overwhelmed the Death Eaters, although the Death Eaters managed to disApparated before they could be captured. Those who were close to Harry gathered around him, and more than one face was streaked with tears. It was then that Ginny heard a quiet voce whispering to her. It was hauntingly familiar, as though from a dream.

_Ginny. Harry isn't dead yet, because he has built up a resistance to the Killing Curse. There are other reasons as well, but…_the voice said, and Ginny looked around. There was no one near her.

_ Great._ She thought sadly. _This war has driven me to the point of insanity. I'm hearing voices that say Harry will live._

_ Honestly, Ginny? If I'm a hallucination, than how is it you recognize my voice, as I know you do?_ The voice replied, exasperated, and Ginny frowned. Who was it? She thought hard, then her eyes widened.

_Lady Guinevere?_ She asked, incredulous, and felt a mental version of a laugh.

_Yes, Ginny, it's me! Took you long enough!_ Gwen replied easily.

_No offense, but where are you and how did you get there, because I seem to remember you being in the Place Between Life and Death._ Ginny asked skeptically, not sure how or why the long-dead Queen of Camelot was talking to her. _And somehow I doubt that I'm there._

_ No, you aren't. I will explain later, but the basic explanation is that all of the people from my time that you met, save for Merlin and Nimue, have…attached themselves to one of you children. Arthur is…in Harry, Lancelot in Ron, and so forth._

_ So…you're possessing us?_ Ginny asked, frowning. _Never mind, that's not important right now. You said that Harry could be saved?_

_ Yes, you're right. We can talk about it more later. I am going to use ancient magic through you, which will call him back from the brink. _Gwen replied. _Just do what I tell you._

Ginny stood and walked over to Harry's body. Kneeling beside him, she said something that none of the others understood, but Hermione frowned, recognizing it as Latin. She looked at Ginny and her eyes narrowed as she saw her friends normally brown eyes were instead a shimmering silver.

"You who have fallen in the service of others, heed my voice. I now call upon you to awaken, for your fate is not yet complete. Return to this world!" Ginny kissed him softly, and there was a flash of silver light. Harry gave a shuddering gasp and his eyes flew open, glowing a molten gold which slowly faded back to the normal green.

"Harry!" Ginny tackled him, and he laughed.

"Hello, Gin. Thanks for bringing me back." He said, kissing the top of her head.He then rose, pulling her to her feet with him, and he smiled around at his friends. "I'm glad that all of you are alright. I thank you for protecting each other. Now, I need to get to Gringotts. I'm really quite late."

"Harry, you were just dead! You need to go to St. Mungo's and get checked over, and…." Hermione started, but his easy laugh interrupted her.

"I apreaciate the concern, 'Mione, but I'm fine. Better than fine, actually. I feel pumped." He replied, taking Ginny's hand and heading for the exit to the pub. Before he exited, he called back over his shoulder: "I'll meet you all back at St. Mungo's, alright?" Hermione and Ron looked at each other and shrugged.

"It's Harry." They said in unison, making his name sound like an explanation, which it rather was. Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and they headed off after Harry and Ginny, leaving a group of shocked and silent people behind them. Almost as one, they turned to Neville and Luna, their expressions demanding an explanation.

"That's Harry for you. You might as well get used to it." Neville said, sounding resigned while Luna smiled and nodded in her dreamy sort of way.

"So….what do we do now, then?" asked Angelina, holding her arm where a curse had grazed her during the fight.

"Head back to the hospital, get you lot fixed up, and wait for him, I guess." Said one of the Aurors, still sounding rather lost in all of this. With murmurs of assent, the group Apparated back to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Four had just arrived in the lobby of Gringotts, after having to push their way past even more fans and reporters. The crowds had been so bad that Harry had erected some sort of moving wall around them, which pushed people out of their way while they walked and kept them from getting to close.

"Harry! There you are, it's good to see you! Ginny, Ron, Hermione, glad to see that you're well." Bill Weasley said, jogging over from behind one of the counters. He gave both his siblings hugs. "I got a little worried when you didn't get here on time. Anyway, I'm to take you straight to the Head of the Bank."

Bill led them down a hallway set off to the side of the hall. It was long and had only a single door at the very end, which bore a placard that read: "Borag Gringott: Owner and President". Bill knocked on this door once, and a goblins voice answered, telling them to come in. Bill pushed the door open and motioned the others through. They crossed the threshold into a large and opulent office, decorated richly with beautiful works of art and plush carpeting. Directly in front of them, in the center of the room, was a large desk, behind which sat an older goblin who was looking over some documents. Beside him stood a younger goblin who glared balefully at the humans as they entered.

"Mr. Gringott, I have the four guests you requested to see, sir." Bill said politly, and the older goblin looked up and smiled slightly.

"Well done, young Weasley. Return to your duties, and I'll send for you when we're done." He replied, and Bill gave a small bow.

"Yes sir, of course." He said, and then whispered softly to the Four. "Good luck, and remember, tell the truth and be VERY polite."

The door shut behind him with a click, and Gringott looked straight at Harry, who suddenly felt as though he was standing before the goblin version of Dumbledore and was about to get a detention for breaking the rules.

"Well, I suspect that you know why you're here, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, I presume that it has something to do with my last visit to Gringotts?" Harry said innocently.

"Arrogant wizard, you have dishonored generations of goblins and defiled this building with your crime. I ought to slay you here and now! You are not even worthy of a goblin blade hewing your head from your neck!" the younger goblin shouted, furious at Harry's less-than panicked demeanor.

"Enough, Ernybok! I warned you to keep your temper in check! I will not have you threatening clients!" Gringott snapped, and the younger turned to him, mouth open to protest, but the elder's look silenced him before turning to the Four again.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, it does concern the last, as you put it "visit" that you made to this bank. You infiltrated the building, used several Unforgivable Curses, broke into a high-security vault, and stole an item from it, before freeing and escaping on a dragon, doing severe damage to the premises." The elder goblin said, looking over his glasses at Harry, just like Dumbledore used to. "Since you are, in fact, Harry Potter, I am sure you had a good reason. I'm listening."

Harry winced. He had been afraid of this. He wasn't sure how much could be talked about until he talked to Kingsley.

"Frankly, sir, I don't know how much I can tell you until my friends and I have been debriefed by the Auror office and Minister Shacklebolt. However, I can tell you that we entered the Lestrange vault, a known Death Eater, and stole only an item that was not only instrumental but essential to slaying Lord Voldemort. I swear it." He replied, choosing his words carefully but with transparent honesty.

The elder goblin leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers before him.

"Mr. Potter, what do you expect those of us in Gringott's to do about your…heist?" he asked sounding genuinely curious.

"Well sir, I can't venture I guess, but I would hope that you would cause neither my friends nor I any problems with our accounts, and accept our apologies for the necessity of the act." Harry said honestly, and with hope in his voice.

"Very well, then. Ernybok Jr., son of my brother's cousin, will take you out. Griphook-I believe you know him- will explain the changes to all of your accounts." Mr. Gringott said, standing and walking around the table, holding out a long-fingered hand. "I thank you for killing the man responsible for the deaths of so many friends and family."

"Glad to help sir. It was personal for me as well." Harry replied, taking his hand and shaking it firmly with a small bow of respect.

Fuming, Ernybok lead them down the hallway and shouted for Griphook. When the goblin arrived, he was ordered to bring them up-to-date, and answer any question. As they accompanied Griphook to a table, harry spoke up:

"I'm glad to see that you're well, Griphook. I was worried you would endure retribution for helping us."

"No need, Mr. Potter. Master Gringott is very understanding. Now, to business…" for the next 2 and a half hours, Griphook explained to them that all of their personal accounts had grown considerably. He explained that, according to the ancient laws, when one witch or wizard slew a Dark witch or wizard, that Dark person wealth and property belonged to the victor. Naturally, Harry took one look at the now-ridiculous size of his financial logs and sut it with a snap and a grimace. Ron and Ginny looked blissfully happy, the first time ever when money was under discussion. Bellatrix Lestrange had been _very _rich, and when Mrs. Weasley slew her, the Weasley family gained all of her possessions. Hermione had received a rather large sum as well, although she refused to show anyone, even Ron. Then, Griphook and dropped the bombshell.

"Master Potter, would you like to claim possession of the Potter vault now?"

"Eh, I already do own it, don't I?" Harry said, surprised.

Griphook sighed and shook his head at Harry's evident confusion.

"No, Mr. Potter. That was the trust fund your mother and father created for your school years. As a full adult, you, as the sole remaining heir to the Potter dynasty, will have access to the Potter vault, one of our oldest and deepest, if not _the _oldest and deepest. You also now own the Potter Estate, and…"

"Hold on, Potter Estate?" asked Harry, frowning. "What do you mean, the Potter Estate?"

"I'll put it simply, Mr. Potter. It makes the Malfoy Estate look like a hovel. It also makes you, at least after the Wizenagamot recognizes you, Lord Potter as well, one of the most wealthy and powerful men in the Wizarding world, and perhaps even in the Muggle one." Griphook said flatly, and Harry froze. "Now, shall I take you to your vault, or…"

"No, I…I would like to see my parents home. Can…can you take me there?" Harry asked haltingly, shocked beyond belief. The Potter's made the Malfoy's look like a hovel? It was mind-blowing!

"Very well, Mr. Potter. Come with me." The Four followed Griphook to an area behind the counters, where he acquired a large key, which he handed to Harry. Harry, apparently, had to prick his finger, drip the blood onto the key, and it could be used to enter the property. Evidently, someone who tried without it would be….suffering an unfortunate fate. They all held onto Griphook as he activated a specialized goblin Portkey, which was far more pleasant then the Wizarding versions. Instantly, they were standing on a long dirt road in front of a gate, surrounded by trees. There was no wall, or anything besides the trees and the gate. Harry walked forward on Griphook's instructions, and placed the key in the lock on the gate. There was a flash of light, and a moment of searing pain, and then it was over. Harry and the others looked around in shock. A high, white marble wall appeared with the gate embedded in it was still all that they could now see, but the road now stretched past the gate, leading to a building in the distance. Even from here, it looked grand and large.

Potter Manor.

A/N: Yes, a rather odd ending and a little rushed chapter, but Potter Manor will be a chapter in and of itself, so I'm saving it for next time. Sorry this took so long, but I had a 5 page English paper and a 7 page Bible paper due in the same 8 days, so that took a lot of time. I have now been assigned a 7 page History paper. I just really wanted to get this out there for you guys. Hope you like it, see you next time!


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